Paramour
by kennedy ann
Summary: After the war Ginny and Hermione find themselves in a serious relationship that seems to all nothing less than perfect. Ginny no longer able to continue lying to the one she loves, breaks Hermione's heart. Can she push her away for long? Songfic/femslash
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: First, My name is not Jo it is Kenn. I work at Sears and am in the PA Army National Guard, not a professional writer with more money than the Queen of England. There for I must not be the goddess who created Harry Potter and cannot make any money off of this.

Second, I may play the drums, guitar and drive my family crazy when I sing, but I do not tour around the world or have 4 amazing albums and the voice of a goddess. Therefore I must not be the beautiful Hayley Williams and talented crew and cannot make any money off of this.

Third, this is a song fiction that got out of control for better lack of words. I happen to be a very one dimensional writer, which is good for "one shots", they never get too confusing. Problem is it makes chapter fics dreadful to read so if this gets to be too much to bear, please let me know and I will kill it in its sleep.

Last, I love feedback. I hardly consider myself a decent writer and often misspell common words. I only ask you forgive me in advance if something slips through my many editing sessions.

I bid you all a happy reading!

Paramour

:A lover, especially one in an adulterous relationship

Chapter 1: All I Wanted Was You

Ginny sat inside her room, sulking behind the dim light pathetically radiating from a candle she would soon need to replace. It had been nearly a month since she had been outside of her "Cave of Sanity" as she called it. 29 days since she had felt the sun warm her skin. 696 hours since she had spoken to anyone. Roughly 41760 minutes since she had made the hardest decision of her life. The last thing she should ever have done happened, and now her life was simply, over.

Looking over at one of the few possessions that meant anything to her, a still photograph Hermione had given Ginny of the two of them, she could feel herself growing weaker.

"_Why aren't the pictures moving" Ginny asked with the most confused look on her face. _

"_It's a muggle photograph love, our smiles in this picture mirror the way I love you. They will never change. Just as how I feel for you could never be anything less than how I feel at this very moment, completely and intoxicatingly in love with you."_

She knew Hermione meant it at the time. The girl probably had no idea what the redhead was capable of. How much she could be hurt by Ginny. How much Ginny knew she could never deserve someone as whole and beautiful as Hermione.

Thinking about this only gave Ginny more reasons to hate herself, something she had become extremely good at over the last month. If she could only just show her how sorry she was. How much it pained her to look into that picture and know she changed something unchangeable. She lost the only thing that would ever give her life meaning. Hermione.

"You were my greatest gift, and my hardest sacrifice." She gently spoke to herself.

She knew her life would now be a shadow of what it used to be. Who she use to be. Ginny knew from the moment she saw her lovers heart break to this day, 29, that she would never be the same. Hermione would go on and act as though nothing was wrong with her. She wouldn't give a thought to Ginny; she wouldn't let her mind wander long enough to dream about her red hair in the moonlight. Everyone would treat the genius with the utmost respect possible, not that she was due anything less. Ginny could beg and plead to be seen by her, but her world, Ginny's one and only love would never accept that. Ginny had completely convinced herself that Hermione would never acknowledge her again. This is exactly the reason Ginny locked herself up in the bed room of her 2nd story apartment for the last 29 days. This was the exact reason she did it to begin with.

Looking back at the picture, seeing those smiling faces she couldn't help but let a well fought back tear slip through the cracks.

"All I wanted was you." She said to the smile that stole her heart.

Looking out the window again she smiled sadly holding back the remaining tears fighting their way to the surface.

"All I wanted was you." She said to the moon, and to the girl she'd never see again.

* * *

Back at Hermione's flat there were dishes all over the place. Parchment thrown about, broken quills, dried out inkbottles and at least a million paper balls littered around a trash can they never seemed to make it into.

It had been 29 days since she had slept in her bed. A bed now drenched in lies and deceit. A bed soaked in mornings of love making, "breakfast in bed for dinner" and heated discussions of quidditch tactics or house elf rights. Sheets polluted with another woman's sweat, sex, and satisfaction. Memories of pure happiness, of promises, of love and devotion. It was all too much for this young witch to handle in the middle of the night. For 29 days the few hours of sleep that she allowed herself to have came in the form of a burgundy couch she had fashioned to look like the one she loved so much in the Gryffindor common room. Right now however the brunette couldn't sleep for the world. It was 2 in the morning.

The dead hours of night were when the lawyer would always become restless. The hours between 12 and 3 were always reserved for time with Ginny. Between Ginny's early morning quidditch practices and her own late nights at the office interviewing and placing elves, or writing new legislation, this was the only time they could spend together every day. It was like Hermione's body couldn't stop moving once it hit 12 AM. She couldn't sit still or concentrate on anything remotely productive, not that she hadn't tried every night, as evident by the many crumbled pieces of parchment littering the floor by the can in the corner.

It was around this time that Hermione found herself pacing her flat like a mad woman. Only was she able to get any precious sleep after tiring herself out enough to collapse on the blood red couch. The only sound within miles coming from the light buzz of the muggle television set her parents bought her on her 21st birthday.

It came as no surprise to her a few hours later when she awoke in a cold sweat screaming for Ginny to get off of that slut and get out of her home. 29 days she spent replaying that scene in her head trying to figure out how she didn't see it coming. They were so happy, the perfect couple. 29 nights she'd awoken panicked from reliving the worst moments of her life, and it was starting to take its toll on her.

Hermione's heart had become hardened from the nightmares. Each night she felt her heart break all over again making her increasingly colder to the world around her. Waking up in a cold sweat, cussing at the top of her lungs, crying her eyes raw; these were all symptoms of Ginny now. This is what she would wake up to for the rest of her life. That and old black and white cartoons.

"Popeye again?" Hermione questioned the television set. She had loved watching the old black and white cartoons that came on after 3. It was something her father would do with her the summers she would spend with her parents early on in her Hogwarts years. An activity she continued to do occasionally with Ginny after a particularly long day in court or after a bad loss for the Harpies.

Flipping through the channels only to find old cartoons or infomercials she quickly shut of the tele and threw the remote down on the coffee table, missing it by a few inches.

"Fuck it." She mused to herself. Getting up she grabbed one of the many mugs on the table in front of her knowing there wouldn't be any clean ones left and went to the kitchen to make a really strong cup of tea. She would have to get ready for work in an hour and these days doing so took infinitely more time, patience and strength than ever before.

Hermione found herself startled by the whistle of the water kettle not realizing she had been on auto pilot the last few minutes of her life. Taking the pot off the stove she was ready to pour the water into the mug she had grabbed off the coffee table. She was not how ever ready to see Ginny's favorite tea mug sitting next to it with a tea bag ready to be seeped.

"Fucking auto pilot! I'm not with her anymore, can you just stop making this so bloody hard for me!"

Realizing she was yelling at herself and holding a very hot kettle of boiling water she took a deep breath and proceeded to pour herself a mug. Waiting for the water to turn into tea she cast the smallest look of distain at the offending mug beside hers.

After fixing her tea the way she liked it Hermione glanced over to the well used "Holly Head Harpies Captain" cup with a frown knowing full well the girl would always have the same impression on her. She would always be the one haunting her dreams. Always be the one who had stolen her heart with nothing but a mere glace. And she knew Ginny would forever be the girl that broke it just as quickly. Giving up she placed her half empty mug on the counter and proceeded to put her ex lovers' mug away.

"All I wanted was you." She said out loud preying there was no way Ginny could hear her speak those words.

Making her way to through bedroom she couldn't help but look at the sheets thrown about her bed like the passionate massacre had taken place only moments ago. After only a second she could feel the pathetic nothing she was able to consume earlier working its way out of her stomach as quickened her pace to the washroom.

Head against the toilet crying and panting from the burn of bile and stomach acid making its way out of her and into the water bowl she couldn't help but think "All I wanted was you." hoping this time that Ginny could hear her, and feel her heart breaking over again in her chest.

* * *

If there was one thing Ginny regretted it was her inability to feel sometimes. She could love like no other, but there were times after the war where it was easier to not feel than to fall apart. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the beginning. Before the dark lord had taken half her family, friends and mentors.

When the war was over, all the honors where handed out, the dead counted and buried, and the ministry rebuilt the girls went back to school to finish up their education. Their best friends and brothers were off trying to "find themselves". This really meant Harry needed to find himself. Ron being far too in love with him had no choice but tag along. Neither of the girls held this against them or really blamed them.

During this year Hermione turned to her NEWTs studies to coop with the stress and Ginny turned to quidditch to manage her anger at the world for taking away her favorite brother, and so many others she loved. But in the middle of the night when the books were all read a thousand times over, and the qwaffle was thrown and caught till her hands were sore, they would turn to each other.

At first it started as a way for Ginny to feel something. Hermione would watch her every moment she could and would study her every move. She could tell the younger girl was in so much pain she had shut off completely. She would do things on auto polite 24/7 and would hardly ever speak to someone unless asked a serious question. Her eyes were so full of anger, and when they weren't they were filled with nothing. This nothing was in Hermione's eyes, so much worse.

She would hold Ginny's hand when they walked in the halls and play with her hair as she fell asleep. When Ginny got so angry she would shake and convulse Hermione would wrap herself around the girl and hold onto her whispering how beautiful she was, or how much she was loved by her. It always seemed to calm her down enough to get in bed and safely in Hermione's arms.

_One day after a really tough quidditch practice Ginny came up to the head girl's room muttering a quite "Believe" to the lion's head that guarded the "Head girls" room Hermione shared with Ginny. _

_The red head could see Hermione sitting at her usual spot in front of her desk writing notes like a mad woman. She acknowledged how beautiful her friend looked when she threw herself into something. It was one of the very few things Ginny could still find beautiful in this world. _

_Quietly taking her team robes off and hanging them on the chair to her own desk she was taken by surprise when the girl who was sitting across the room only seconds ago was right behind her breathing on the back of her neck heavily. _

"_Ginny…" Hermione spoke so softly she could hardly make out her own name. _

"_Yes herm?" she decided was the best way to acknowledge the girls presence. She could feel heat coming off her friend and it made her shiver._

"_Can you feel right now?" Hermione was only met with silence though._

"_Can you feel your beaten up hands? Can you feel your broken heart? Can you feel anything at all?" Hermione practically begged these questions to the stiff form in front of her._

_Turning around Hermione knew the answer the second she was met with the most beautiful dark green eyes she'd ever laid her sight to. Beautiful, but completely empty. _

"_No. I can't feel right now." She stated simply. She wasn't going to lie to Hermione. She was the one who held her every night. Who made sure she ate at least once a day. Who reminded her that if she failed her classes this year she wouldn't be able to keep doing the one thing she still loved. She wasn't going to lie to the most supportive person she had left._

_Hermione kept searching those green eyes begging to see something other than hollow nothing. Without thinking anymore she closed what little distance that remained between the girls and kissed the young witch as hard as she could. _

_It took a moment for Ginny to recognize what being kissed felt like, but this wasn't like kissing harry or dean or any boy. This was hard but soft. Needing but giving. Desperate but loving. It was everything she was always told a kiss should be but never experienced. In her shocked state Ginny quickly composed herself and pulled away from Hermione enough to figure out what that was for._

"_Herm… what are you doing?" she asked confused but not put off._

_Without answering Hermione jumped her a second time pushing her up against her work desk to keep her from getting away again. Having decided these lips were too good not to kiss back Ginny gave the girl her mouth in its entirety and soon fought with her for dominance. _

_Hermione could sense the redhead's displeasement with their current positioning so she grabbed hold of her tank top and pulled her back till they both hit the bed they had been sharing platonically for 3 months. Before Hermione could even register her thoughts the young athlete had already pulled the girls shirt off as well as her own leaving her torso in nothing more than a sports bra. _

_Taking a moment to admire the subtle curves of Hermione's body Ginny began to slowly undo the brunettes slacks till she had them off her legs and forgotten on the floor. Hermione quickly sat up and stripped the girl of the sweats she wore under her practice robes during the winter, revealing the most athletic body she had ever seen. It was as if this feelingless beauty had carved her body to perfection since her heart was so far from it._

_Ripping the girl's underwear off Hermione pulled her in and straddled her prey on the bed. Running a hand down the red heads cut abs she could feel gin's core radiating heat for her. In the midst of engaging Ginny in a hard passionate kiss she was surprised to feel 2 fingers being pushed inside her pulling every inch of the girl's body closer. Hermione wanted nothing but to make this wonder feel as incredible as she did at that very moment and took Ginny's sex in her hand, not at all surprised to feel it soaking for her._

_After Ginny inserted a 3__rd__ finger Hermione decided to up her game and went from touching her to full on fucking the redhead senseless. Ginny latching on to Hermione's neck with her lips letting her teeth dance playfully across her lovers burning skin. Ginny tried to keep pace with her friend but was fast approaching the best orgasm she would ever have. Hermione started to shutter and tremble holding onto her muscular companion as tight as she could while thrusting into the quivering walls of her friend. _

_With I low moan on Hermione's part and a husky growl from Ginny the girls reached their orgasms, riding each other's hands as they pathetically tried to keep their lips latched to one another. Ginny was done before Hermione and held her close as the girl trembled under her touch. _

_Once Hermione came down she looked into the beautiful girls eyes and saw something. What it was she wasn't sure but it sure was something which made her happier than could be. _

"_All I wanted was to make you feel something." Hermione said with a content smile on her face. This was quick lived as the look in Ginny's eyes went quickly from something, to anger and pain. Before Hermione could explain what she meant Ginny was already half dressed and moving towards the door with her shoes in her hand._

"_Ginny! Where are you going?" Hermione almost yelled out of shock._

_The redhead turned her head to the side; Hermione could still see the look of pain in her eyes as she spoke softly._

"_Hermione, all I wanted was you." _

_With that the witch was gone. She left Hermione half naked in the bed they just fucked in feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. _

"_Ginny! Please don't go!" she cried grabbing the sheet off their bed and running after her now lover. _

_The brunette finally caught up with her friend in the common room and grabbed Ginny's hand violently jerking her to face her destiny. _

"_That's not what I meant. I… can we… go back to the beginning?" Hermione pleaded with her eyes._

"_You can't just do that herm. You can't just relive the start of something and expect to make the past go away. I felt something. Happy now?" she yelled ripping her hand out of Hermione's grasp._

"_Gin please! Let's just… slow down for a second. I just need to…AH! All I wanted was you. I want you Ginny. Not this hollow shell. I want you!" _

"_It's not that easy mate, I can't just be happy for your sake. You have to make me happy, for me to be happy." Ginny tried to reason with the girl. _

_The look of need was so evident on Hermione's face that Ginny had to let go of all this pain. She had been waiting for Hermione to love her like that for too long to just push it away. _

"_Go back up to bed. I'll be back with some tea." Ginny spoke softly so Hermione new she was no longer as angry. One moment Ginny was kissing Hermione softly, the next she was through the portrait hole leaving the genius to figure things out for herself. Lost in her own thoughts she went back up to her room thankful that only a few other 7__th__ years were still up. The chances of this incident becoming gossip were slim to none._

That's was the first clue Ginny decided. She had never been able to get rid of that emptiness. She often found herself doing terrifying things just to feel when she became a shadow. Flying at top speed through dense forests, experimenting with hallucinogens, even the occasional cutting binge. Hermione didn't know about any of this though. She could never bring herself to tell her she couldn't be Ginny's savior. There was no fixing her. Loving Ginny was the best gift a girl could ever have. She was well taken care of, and above all always loved. But she was still broken. That's why she slept with Flure Delecore at Hermione's flat. She was damaged goods and Hermione deserved better than a liar.

Ginny got up from her perch by the window and decided 29 days was long enough. The new quidditch season was starting in a couple weeks and if she was going to out fly all the young girls she would need to be in peak condition.

Just like that she went from loving Hermione to not knowing what love was. She was empty Ginny. But this time she was going to try her hardest to stay that way. Making her way to the shower she grabbed the new bottle of fire whiskey ron had dropped off for her that morning and took a swig from the bottle.

"All I wanted was you Hermione." She toasted to the air before taking another swig.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Though I can pull off an extremely believable Australian accent I cannot however pull off a Chipping Sodbury accent. Therefore I am not Jo and am not making any money off of this.

Though my hair is a nice 6 dollar bottle of auburn red I am not nearly as beautiful as Hayley. Therefore I am not making any money off of this.

Drop a line, get a cookie :)

Paramour

Chapter 2: Let the Flames Begin.

Day 30. The day Hermione decided she had to know. Ever since she was a child her burning desire to understand the reason everything occurred was ever present. Asking questions meant getting answers and she never held anything back. Never held herself back from understanding all that she could about life. Her broken heart however she couldn't seem to figure out on her own. She had questions only her ex lover could answer.

Hermione wrote a quick note to Minister Shacklebolt explaining why she couldn't come into work for the next few days. After she received the owl back from him wishing her to get better from her nasty case of the dragon pox she straightened up her flat while pondering how to go about asking the questions that were making her sick.

After taking a long hot shower she dressed in her best looking casual sweater, pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and applied just enough make up to get rid of the large bags ever present below her eyes.

"You will have no idea exactly how bad you broke my bloody heart Ginny. No sodden clue." She spoke to her reflection. With a small smile she grabbed her expandable purse and her wand readying herself to apperate into Ginny's bedroom.

Hermione knew she had to do this. It might be the last time she would ever talk to Ginny. With a brief glance at the clock Hermione visualized the inside of the bedroom she knew Ginny was sleeping soundly in and within seconds appeared with a loud crack in front of the drooling beauty.

Ginny had not gotten up before 6 or 7 pm in at least a month. Her hangovers made the sunlight too harsh for her head to stand. She couldn't stand to see her own reflection, her fragile body or her pale sick face.

Last night in the spirit of moving forward she took her first shower in a month scrubbing herself raw, and made herself a bowl of canned soup. With not much else residing in her empty kitchen it was the most desirable choice she could find. In her quest to go on with life she changed the sheets and washed every piece of clothing she could find in her bedroom. Who she was fooling she was unaware of. But she knew if she didn't try she'd be crawling back to Hermione begging for forgiveness. That completely defeated the point of hurting her to begin with so she had to commit to living without her.

When Hermione arrived she expected her ex to be awakened and angry by her entrance, Ginny was always a light sleeper.

"Maybe it's the empty bottle of fire whiskey on the floor beside her." She thought to herself out loud. Dropping her purse on the table next to her she grabbed the bottle throwing it in the empty waste bin by her desk. From the look of her red swollen face and the small pool of drool on her pillow she doubted the girl went to bed more than 2 or 3 hours ago, most likely crying herself to sleep in her drunken stupor.

"You really are pathetic you know." Hermione spoke to herself. "You can't hate her forever. You love her too fucking much."

Watching Ginny in her drunken sleep state was almost peaceful, in till the redhead moaned and rolled over and out of her rather large bed. Without even attempting to open her eyes in fear of the bright sun streaming through the cracks of her blinders, Ginny not so gracefully made her way to the door and through the hall. It was apparent to the brunette she had gone unseen and should follow the stumbling woman to make sure she reached her destination without falling.

"You're such an idiot Gin." She spoke under her breath tentatively following her severely hung over ex girlfriend. Once she could hear the younger girl throwing up behind a locked bathroom door she decided she best leave her to wash up a bit before announcing her presence.

Sounds of a toilet flushing and a faucet running emitted themselves from behind the door and she could hear the faint hum of the vibrating toothbrush Hermione's parents gave Ginny a few months ago.

"Don't look at me." Hermione could hear from the other side of the door. Not knowing whether Ginny was speaking to her, or the mirror. The witch thought best to stay hidden for the time being and listened through the door intently.

"I mean it. Don't fucking look at me. Your fucking pathetic gin… you really believe this is how it should be? Yea! She doesn't deserve this! I'm fucking trash and I did it for a reason. Now get off my fucking case." 

Hermione had never heard Ginny fight out loud with herself before, or anyone for that matter. She attributed this to the alcohol running through the young woman's blood stream.

Before she could register and analyze the conversation that had just taken place the doorknob was turning and Hermione had flattened herself against the wall, hiding behind the swinging door, and hoping Ginny wouldn't close it on her way out. Holding her breath she could hear Ginny make her way back into bed and the brunette knew if she was going to get any answers today she would have to ask them before the athlete fell back asleep.

With one deep breath Hermione imagined the room once more.

"Let the flames begin." She thought out loud before half stepping and appearing with a loud crack in the room for the 2nd time that morning. This time however she didn't go unnoticed by the woman with the terrible hangover.

Upon hearing the loudness of Hermione's arrival Ginny found herself jumping so high off her bed she ended up on the floor covering her ears and shielding her head from the brown eyed intruder.

"You really should be up. It's almost 10 in the morning and quidditch starts in a couple weeks." Hermione said a little louder than necessary.

Scrambling to get herself off the floor and away from the source of noise in her room Ginny tried to push herself to her feet, but hardly made her footing. Seeing that Ginny was having a hard time getting up the older witch crossed the distance in 2 strides and helped the red head make it to her feet.

Ginny could smell Hermione and it was more intoxicating than the fire whiskey. She smelled of magical frizz-ease potion and fresh picked strawberries. She felt her curly brown ringlets brush up against her face and smiled feeling fuller than she had in a month. Hermione could feel Ginny's muscular body take control and as soon as she realized she was now hugging the girl who cheated on her she quickly pulled herself away leaving the strong arms her body longed for.

"Hermione…" Ginny pleaded softly. Not sure what she was asking for from the other girl.

"I'm here for answers gin." Hermione said after a moment of silence. The best way to keep herself from falling back into Ginny arms was to be professional about the situation. That's what she wanted right? Answers? But if that was all why was her own hand intertwined with Ginny's fingers? Had she really just reached out to the girl who tore her heart into pieces?

'What am I doing?' Hermione asked herself mentally pulling her hand away from where she put it only moments ago.

"You want answers?" Ginny asked unbelievably. "You know that is the one thing I can't give you right now." she continued staring down into Hermione's large brown orbs and rubbing her temple trying to make the fuzzy pain go away. She could still see love in those eyes. A spark. The red head closed the distance between them whispering into Hermione's now blushing ear. "You won't like my answers. So save yourself the pain and get out of my flat." She pulled back knowing Hermione wouldn't stay somewhere she wasn't wanted.

Ginny's plan might have worked if Hermione hadn't saw her eyes change. She knew anything Ginny said with those eyes she could never mean. She had to ask the real Ginny why she cheated on her, not this hollow shadow before her.

She remembered the first time she pulled Ginny back to her. She remembered what it took to reach her that night in their room at Hogwarts. A part of her was looking for a reason to take the girl in front of her regardless of her state of mind. So when Hermione took Ginny's dry chapped lips in a needing kiss she didn't care that Ginny was too shocked to be responsive.

Before Hermione could pull away and see if she had brought her lover back she was flipped and pinned to Ginny's bed with her hands above her head. Ginny's face only inches away from hers was one filled with pure rage and lust.

Ginny's kiss wasn't passionate. It was not loving or like any of the kisses they had shared in the 4 years they had been together. Her kiss was mean and demanding. It was thrilling yet terrifying. Hermione found herself pouring all her hatred for this girl into this kiss. Lips where bitten till they bled. Tongues lashed out trying to keep each others at bay. Teeth ground against each other and eyes filled with pain and agony bore into their counterparts searching for something beyond this moment. They poured every bit of pain into one another till they were drained mentally physically and emotionally.

Ginny pulled away, slightly heaving and sobered up, allowing the older girl below her a chance to breathe.

Hermione felt used, but she knew she had just done the same thing to Ginny. There was no more pain inside of her. She looked at Ginny's bleeding swollen bottom lip and took it softly into her mouth sucking the wound clean. Ginny pulled away giving them more space and silence once the blood was gone.

"Kiss me…" Hermione pleaded. "Please kiss me…"

Ginny couldn't deny her lover any longer and closed the small gap between them kissing all the pain and hurt away with the tenderest kiss she had ever given to anyone.

Ginny got off her lover realizing you can't take 3 steps backwards and expect progress. She sat up on the bed looking away, so that Hermione couldn't see how much she wanted the other girl.

"I'm weak Hermione. I'm not enough for you. I did what I did for a reason, and I hope you will see one day how much will come of your life without me in it. My pain and all the trouble its cause you… I can no longer be selfish and put that upon you. I won't allow myself long enough to regret hurting you, because beneath that pain there is hope for you." Ginny looked into Hermione's eyes with a burning desire, it was everything she could do to keep herself off of the beautiful redhead.

"Just shut up…" Hermione managed to get out before once more pulling the younger girls face back to her and attacking her lips in a passionate kiss. "Shut up and make love to me."

Ginny knew there was no use pushing the woman of her dreams off of her; she would only come back till she got what she needed. This could be her last chance to feel hole again knowing she had to push Hermione out of her pitiful existence forever. Ginny embraced Hermione kissing her just as passionately, ripping down the front of what she knew to be one of Hermione's favorite sweaters and pushing past the woman's bra to cup the swollen mound underneath it.

Clothes became a nuisance as skin burned against skin. Lips sung in harmony and tongues danced in perfect rhythm. Bodies sweat and both girls came harder for each other than they could handle. Ginny could not stop trembling and her hold on mere consciousness was becoming a thing of the past. The last thing Ginny heard before she dosed off ear to Hermione's racing heart was the girl telling her how much she loved her. How they were meant to love each other forever. But she couldn't let her love someone who was unlovable. She had to make Hermione see she wasn't worthy. For now however she was going to allow herself this small amount of happiness.

Hermione pulled her impossibly closer and kissed her forehead lightly.

"I forgive you Gin." She whispered to the sleeping girl.

"I forgive you for what you're going to do next as well. And I'm not going to stop fighting for you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I was born in the great year of 1991, making me 6 years old when Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published. Therefore I obviously cannot make any money off of this.

I have never been able to sing past a F sharp, so I'm pretty sure I'm not the lead singer of Paramore and cannot make any money off of this.

**SoulAstrey:** Here's your cookie! Not sure if you liked chocolate chip or peanut butter better so I made you both.

Enjoy!

Paramour

Chapter 3: When It Rains

Ginny couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful brunette lying in her bed. Sheets and pillows where thrown about the room in the midst of what happened a few hours ago, leaving Hermione's soft curves uncovered. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life.

Outside her window, Ginny could hear the rain pouring down from above. She always admired the way rain had touched every inch of this earth at one point or another. It didn't care if you were pure blood or muggle, gay or straight, black or white, it would rain on your head all the same. It could come like a scorned woman seeking revenge on her ex lover or a young girl doing a tap dance to Shirley Temple. It could ruin your outdoor wedding, or your 8 year old's beach party. It could bring about floods that left hundreds of families homeless and make any day darker than you were already dealing with.

Without rain you had droughts that kill greenery, crops, and irrigation systems.

Either way you look at it, rain was a pretty upsetting part of life on Earth. However, Ginny loved rain. The smell reminded her of summers spent in rainy St. Catchpolt. The sound of the water pounding down on the roof made her chest vibrate. Running through the rain made her feel free and unattainable like the clouds in the sky.

She listened to the steady beat, smelling a mix of musky sex, fresh strawberries and summers spent at home. Hermione's back rose and fell in rhythm with the rain, making Ginny aware of how perfect the genius really was for her. From the soft blush of her cheeks to the toe nails she recently painted light brown Hermione was the living, breathing definition of beautiful. Something Ginny could love even more than the rain pounding down all around them.

"Say that you love me, Gin." She heard the woman lying in her bed say.

After a moment Ginny looked out the window and swallowed the rock that was just shoved down her throat.

"I love you." She finally managed to get out, weakly but loud enough that she was defiantly heard.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny could see Hermione sit up and look into her eyes longing for them to look back.

"Say it again, and mean it." She demanded from the girl sitting by the window. She was only met with silence.

"I know you do. And the moment you realize that that's all I need from you, you will stop playing these stupid sodden games."

"I'm not playing games with you Hermione." Ginny practically growled at her lover.

"Then what exactly are you doing? You think I don't know what's going on? I don't miss a thing Ginny. I know about your problems. How you still become emotionally void without the ability to feel any happiness. How you feel nothing but pain, and, because of this, you hurt yourself. You get drunk and fight men at bars. You fly for hours in the night when you think I am sleeping, always coming back frostbitten or bleeding and even high sometimes. Ginny, you compare yourself to people rotting in Azkaban because you don't know how to stop the pain inside your heart. You tell yourself that you're no good for me and hide from the world. However, you don't seem to realize that I know all of this and I still love you unconditionally. You're not a black hole sucking life out of the world. You are a beautiful shining light that would rather not be seen."

Hermione had already gotten off the bed and was kneeling in front of the woman she loved so desperately.

"I'm like the rain, you know. I'm destructive." Ginny stated looking back out the window.

"I love you, just as you love rain. I see the beauty in you that you won't show anyone else. And I have never taken that for granted. Gin, we can do this together! I will help you through it every single day. I'm sorry I've let this go on so long! I swear to you I'll stop hiding from this and help. I promise Gin… we can do this." Hermione couldn't stop the emotional tears from slipping through. She couldn't let Ginny walk away from this.

"You haven't seen anything yet Hermione." Ginny stated, looking her counterpart dead in the eye with a cold, hollow stare.

"Please love, we can do this…" Hermione pleaded once more grasping for something to hold onto.

"There is no 'we', Hermione." Ginny stated coldly. Standing up from the chair she'd been occupying, Ginny shrugged Hermione's hands off her body and put her Levi 514's on, quickly leaving the room and a once more broken Hermione.

"You always find an escape Ginny. But one day you will realize you can't run away from everyone who loves you. There is no escaping this. You can't sleep 'til the sun goes down and hide 'til it comes back up." Hermione was furious at the girl. She couldn't believe she'd turn her back on her so quickly. She had to end this cycle before Ginny really hurt herself.

"Stay, Gin. Let's just talk about it. I'll give you all the time in the world to get it all out. Be like the rain, Ginny. Rain down on me until you have nothing left and the sun has no choice but to come out."

Ginny heard the words but she wasn't ready to listen. Pulling the door open to her bedroom, she looked back and smiled sadly at the beauty she was walking away from again.

"I'll see you around Herm. Take care of yourself." With that Ginny was gone.

"I forgive you! And I love you Ginny!" Hermione shamelessly yelled at the woman leaving her.

She couldn't hold back the tears. Barely making her way over to Ginny's bed, the one they had slept in together mere hours ago, she curled up and cried until she passed out cold. She would wait for Ginny. She would fight for the woman she knew deserved to be loved. After every storm, the sun has to show itself eventually. Ginny was like the rain, and Hermione had no other purpose than to be her brilliant sun.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone was the first book I ever truly loved, not published. So I'm probably not making any money off of this.

I saw Paramore live for the first time on my 16th birthday, May 5th 2007. Therefore I think it's safe to assume I'm not the beautiful lead singer and couldn't make a cent off of this if I tried.

Drop me some love :}

Paramour

Chapter 4: Misery Business

Ever since the end of the Second Great Wizarding War, Ginny was an angry person by nature. Fury and devastation had become her closest friends. They burned like a raging fire that couldn't be put out, and she was sure never could be. Of all the dreadful feelings that took up her heart, misery never seemed to be one of them.

When Ginny arrived at Fleur's door step she knew she was walking into her own worst nightmare. Having left Hermione in her apartment, there was nowhere else to go. It was better this way regardless, if Ginny was going to commit to pushing Hermione away, she would have to commit herself; literally, to the one girl Hermione couldn't stand for the world.

After a year with Fleur, Ginny's brother Bill could hardly stand the Veela much as Hermione in her 4th year at Hogwarts. The woman was beautiful yes but she was also extremely needy, jealous of everyone that glanced his way and he discovered later into the relationship, his wife had developed a slight crush on his only sister. They spent a few months in muggle marriage counseling, a suggestion from Hermione, but Fleur couldn't just halt her feelings for the young redhead and Bill could not take her mannerisms anymore.

Soon after their marriage bond was magically broken, Bill took a leave of absence from Gringgots. Kissing the entire Weasly clan goodbye last summer he warned them they might not see him for a good while, only to come back less than a month later with a sweet German woman he had met along his travels. The whole family was extremely fond of Therese and last Ginny herd, they had just moved in together at Shell Cottage. How people still found love after everything they lost in the war was beyond Ginny. True she was one of them, finding her soul mate in Hermione. But at least she could recognize that she was way too fucked up in the head to commit to her.

Fleur, unhappy with her single status found herself poking and prodding into Ginny's relationship with a new found fascination. Ginny's girlfriend already not liking the blonde much had quickly found her even more annoying than even her former husband did. After many warnings that she would be hexed until she could wipe her bum with her eye lids, Fleur's advances on Ginny became less obvious and less often.

The athlete held every pitiful emotion trapped inside her body, most having been tearing at her soul for the last 5 years. But she could honestly say the feeling of misery was always one Hermione kept from creeping up on her. Her warm smile or her eyes that spoke wisdom beyond anyone she had ever met. With the exception of the late Headmaster of Hogwarts of course. The feeling of her skin so soft and smooth and the sound of her voice kept all her misery at bay. Without Hermione it seeped into her veins like heroine from a perfectly placed needle.

Misery felt like bile making it way up her esophagus, endlessly causing her to feel sick, a feeling she now might have for the rest of her life. This was something she would have to get use to from now on. She was in the business of misery, and she taking it all the way to the top.

* * *

How the blonde knew her lover was standing outside her small home she wasn't quite sure. But as soon as she felt it Fleur ran to her front door, opened it hastily and took in the sight of the woman she was knew she was in love with.

"Monème! I 'ave missed you so much!" Fleur threw herself at the witch standing awkwardly in front of her doorway, holding tight as though she would never let her go of her body again. Ginny couldn't help but hug the woman back, she wasn't Hermione, she wasn't the one she was meant to love forever, but she was loving and beautiful. Terribly beautiful.

"Mi amour, it is good to 'ave you back in my arms." The blonde purred softly into Ginny's ear.

Fleur's body in her arms felt good, Ginny could not deny this. Did it feel right? Not even close, but it defiantly felt good.

The curves Fleur possessed were so very different from Hermione's. Where the brunette was a few inches shorter, with full hips, thighs, and a small but flattering chest, Fleur Delacore was the exact opposite. Standing at exactly 5'8 she was barely an inch shorter than Ginny. Her arms were thin and graceful, her legs long and lean, her waist extremely petite yet her breasts were a full voluptuous D cup. She had long straight blonde hair that only seemed to enhance her porcelain white skin and sharp, cold blue eyes. It was such a contrast to Hermione's sweet smelling curls and warm loving brown orbs. Fleur would never be as beautiful as her ex lover, but she was defiantly a close second.

When Fleur spoke, she sounded confident, but never made conversation in area's she couldn't quite keep up. Ginny had gotten so use to Hermione having to know everything about anything that this kind of conversation was a pleasant change in the Quidditch star's life. When she spent time with the blonde she was the more intelligent one. If felt good to be more significant sometimes, Hermione's brilliance left no room for anyone to feel significant.

When Ginny felt Fleurs soft lips caressing her neck she shuddered involuntarily, quickly untangled the girl from her body and moved them both inside, shutting the front door. It was only a matter of time before the Wizarding gossip rags caught up with Ginny's dirty little secrets. In fact she was counting on them to deliver the final few blows to her ex lover's heart, but it would be on her terms, not theirs.

"Fleur, would it be ok if I stayed here till quidditch starts? It would only be 3 weeks and I will be out training for most of it." Ginny asked keeping the blonde a foot away from her.

"'Owe could you even ask me that? Ove course you can stay with me." The blonde said with a slight hit of a blush. "I 'ave been waiting for eight long months you know… I think I deserve a reward for being so good…" Fleur said, innocently playing with a piece of Ginny's fiery mane.

She couldn't take it. Those weren't Hermione's ink stained fingertips. This felt so wrong. But Ginny knew she had to make this work, for Hermione's sake, even if it was going to kill the rest of her in the process.

* * *

Back at Ginny's apartment Hermione found herself cleaning up, trying to keep busy. She knew Ginny would come back eventually. It was only a matter of time.

"As soon as I thought she was mine... What am I going to do now?" she asked herself. Hermione knew there was only one way to make Ginny fall for her again. She would have to wait till Ginny couldn't take being without her anymore and than fight her way back into the young woman's life. She would fall in love with Hermione all over again if that's what it took.

* * *

"Attention all Witches and Wizards! Pure bloods and muggle bourns! All Quidditch fans across the world! Please give your attention to the most beautiful woman in history to ever handle a qwaffle, Capitan for the Holly Head Harpies and three time winner of the United Confederation of Wizards Quidditch Cup! Ginny Weasly!"

She had never heard such a roar come to life at the mention of her name. Ginny knew she had a rather large fan base, but it seemed each year she played it only became larger still. Blushing like mad she walked her way to the podium fixed at the front of the stage. She had never seen so many people packed into Diagon Ally before. The sight was incredible and inspiring.

"Sonorus" Ginny spoke as she raised her wand to her throat clearing it loudly hoping the cheering would die down a bit.

"Good morning everyone!" she cheered to the hundreds of people, hoping it might calm her down a bit before she got into what she came here to say.

"In a few days the spring season will start and I will once again lead Holly Head into it with even more strength and passion than I have the last two years of being Captain. I fully intend to be standing here the day before the next Championship thanking you for all your love and honest support. But that is not all I have come here to tell you." The crowd seemed to go silent in anticipation of the up in coming news.

"There is someone new in my life and has been for two weeks now. I feel it is time to let you all know that I am no longer with the Head lawyer of the Magical Creatures Legal Department, Hermione Granger. We have gone our separate ways because I have fallen for another. Everyone please give a warm welcome to the beautiful woman who has caught my heart on fire! Fleur Delacore!"

Ginny wasn't paying attention to the crowd, if she had been she would have seen a witch with spiral brown hair standing against the front of Olivander's Fine Wands. When Hermione heard about Ginny's press conference she was expecting her to inform the public that they were no longer together. It had been 2 weeks since she last saw her and the brunette couldn't pass up the chance to see if she was doing alright without her. But when Fleur Delacore appeared on the stage beside Ginny, gave her a passionate kiss and dazzled the crowd with her beautiful smile, it was all Hermione could do not to vomit on site.

"Sonorus" Fleur said casting her wand to her throat confidently.

"'Ello everyone! It is a pleasure to be here with all of you today! I want you all to know I'll be taking good care of this wonderful woman you all love so much. Go 'Arpie's!"

The crowd cheered even louder at her words.

"She can't even say the teams bloody name right! What is this bollox!" Hermione tried to scream through the noise. Any luck of being heard above the crowd was minimal and she knew it was of no use. Ginny was smiling yes, but Hermione could see through the mask she wore. Her eyes were cold and feeling less and this was all a show for her. Ginny was trying to hurt her again and this time she was going to fight back.

"Okay Gin. We can play dirty for a little while. I hope you know what you are getting into." Hermione muttered in her fury. Storming through the crowd of packed bodies that seemed to stretch for miles, Hermione formulated a plan that would put her ex lover in her place, if only for small amount of time.

In the distance Hermione could hear Fleur speaking into her wand.

"Now I am not one to usually brag, but it is so good to finally have what I 'ave always wanted. This woman stole my heart and it is so good to finally know zat I have stolen 'ers away too. This feels so good everybody! I can only 'ope you all 'ave found or do find a lover as strong and beautiful as I 'ave!"

Ginny couldn't understand anything the French woman was saying. She could however make out a woman with spiral brown hair weaving her way out of the crowd and she knew it had to be Hermione. With a deep breath she pointed her wand back at her throat and waited for Fleur's monologue to end. Once the blonde was finished, Ginny put that beautiful fake smile on and asked the crowd, "So any questions for me?"

Before anyone could ask a thing a booming voice came from the very back of the crowd and reverberated off every building in sight.

"Do you believe in second chances Ginny Weasly?"

The voice was obviously Hermione's even though it was magically altered to sound deeper and louder.

"No. Second chances never matter. People never change. Next question."

Before she could point to one of the press reporters in front the same booming voice filled the crowd once more.

"There have been some ugly rumors going around that you were caught in bed having sexual relations with one Fleur Delacore during the course of your relationship with Hermione Granger. Is this correct?"

Ginny now ready to go for the kill shot fixed her eyes on the crowd and said with a false sense of bravado, "If I did could you really blame me? I mean look at this stunning woman! I have needs, and just like people, that will never change."

"So you will always be a whore than? Ok. What would you do if Hermione Granger forgave you for cheating on her with that French slut?" the blooming voice rang out once more.

Hesitation caught Ginny momentarily but she shook it off and answered the question.

"I'd pass it up, now how about you love? You are from the daily prophet are you not?"

Hermione couldn't believe how hurtful Ginny was being. She listened on keeping herself hidden at the back of the very large and confused crowd.

"There have been a million other girls just like you before Ginny, they all made it look easy to play some of the best Quidditch in history but no one has ever come even close to you. You are a living Quidditch legend." The male reporter said followed by a loud roar from the crowd surrounding him.

"Are you aware," he continued, "that you have set the most records ever to be recorded for this sport? And that you have done it with only 3 years of professional quidditch under your belt?"

"Well when you put it like that I'm not sure what to say! Yes, I was the youngest player to ever start in professional quidditch. I was the most inexperienced to ever be made captain. The only player in history to ever win the UCW Championship 3 years in a row and I have set the highest amount of goals scored in a single match thirteen times in a row. But none of this means anything to me. If you go after what you want and do it right it's easy!" Ginny played to the crowd, holding Fleur to her side.

Hermione couldn't believe this was actually happening. She refused to believe Ginny was really doing all this to hurt her.

"I sincerely don't want to make it sound like I am bragging everyone. I work hard to get what I want. And I have what I want because I work for it. And let me tell you," Ginny finally found Hermione hiding all the way in the back by Florish and Blotts, "It feels so good." Ginny said locking eyes with her ex lover, before she knew it the girl had apperated with a loud crack.

"Next question please?"

* * *

Hermione was fuming back at her 3rd story flat.

"Ginny you will never get away with all this. You can try as hard as you can but I will not let you ruin my life!" she yelled angrily at the tea mug she had been drinking out of before she left for the conference. Just than a light tapping at her window pulled her attention from the inanimate "Ginny" and to the owl waiting for her.

"What have you got for me there?" she asked opening the window to let the bird in. He reached out his leg to let Hermione untie the letter tied to his foot and hooted softly when she put a treat in his talon.

"Thank you so much." Hermione said with a smile and the owl took off out the window.

"It's from Minister Kingsely…" Hermione muttered out loud as she opened the official letter and read it carefully. As she got into the letter a large almost evil smile grew on her face.

"Oh yes Ginny. Just watch as all my wildest dreams come true, and non of them involving you." She quickly wrote back to the minister and called out the window for her personal owl, Albus, to come pick it up.

"You are going to shit bricks Miss Weasly."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter and its entirety belong to a woman I have idolized since ten years of age. With that being said, I'm defiantly not making a single knut off this.

Hayley Williams is a woman I have wanted to ravish since I was 15. So in less I'm way too fond of myself there, I'm not making any money off of this.

Thank you for all who reviewed, favorite, or alerted this story. It means the world to me! This Chapter is for all of you that keep coming back for more. :)

Chapter 5: Brick by Boring Brick

Headlines all across Wizarding England were selling like no one had seen since The Last Great Wizarding War. Everyone seemed to know everything about the famous Ginny Weasley and her new "mistress", as most of the papers referred to her. Or at least they all thought they knew everything.

The young Quidditch star was definantly helping escalate all this publicity surrounding her. Every meal she ate took place in a busy, well-known establishment, where cameras and quick-notes quills were always in sight. There were magazine signings with lines that reached beyond the doors of Quality Quidditch Supplies and straight down to Knockturn Alley. Ginny even made an appearance at the Hogwarts House Championship between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, shaking all the players' hands before the game and taking pictures with them after. The red head was keeping herself busy in the public's eye, and as far away from her new girlfriend as she possibly could.

Every girl wanted to be Ginny Weasley, and every boy wanted to be Fleur Delacore. She was living the life of a star, shining so bright there was no time to take her mask off and remember everything she had given up, and the girl she had left behind.

**Snap**

"Ginny Weasley, is it safe to assume that you will once more annihilate the Chutney Cannons, much as you destroyed the Montrose Magpies last week?" a young reporter for Quidditch Weekly asked the athlete sipping from a glass of fire whiskey in front of him.

Ginny smiled for the camera and said with a cocky eyebrow raised, "I bet my own brother Ron 300 galleons that the game would end 390 to 40, Harpies win. Does that answer your question... what is your name again?"

"My name is John. But wait, you bet money on the outcome of your own Quidditch matches? Isn't that cheating?"

"There is nothing in Quidditch regulation that says so, Tom." She said, hiding her shit-eating grin behind the almost empty glass in her hand.

"It's John. And if it isn't cheating, it's still not very ethical." The young reporter stated.

"When you can put a qwaffle in between a goal post, riding a broom 100 meters above the grown, at 80 kilometers per hour, they don't pay you to be ethical. They pay you to win." Ginny took the last swig from her now empty glass, threw down enough galleons to pay the reporters rent for the month, grabbed her wand and shrugged on her wind-worn leather jacket. She was sick of this nobody and was in no mood to play around.

"Miss Weasley, are you really walking away from me in the middle of an interview?" the young man asked, hurrying to put his notes in his brief case so he could follow her out of the pub and into the humid spring air.

"Listen guy, I'm done for today, so get the fuck out of my face, got it?"

"Ginny, I have more questions for you!" John insisted, following her, but his words were soon silenced when he felt a wand being pointed at his neck.

"Don't come near me." Ginny growled. She pulled her wand back from his neck, but kept it trained on him as she walked towards her broom. Once she was mounted, Ginny took off from the Hogs Head with as much speed as she could muster, sending the man flying to the floor from the sheer power of her take off.

"Okay, Princess Ginny, is time to face your worst enemy." She chuckled to herself.

When Ginny made it back to Fleur's home, she cast a silent locking spell at her custom made Weasley 480 (the most points she had single handedly scored in a game). Sure, having her own broom was mostly for promotional reasons, but she made sure the makers of the Weasley 480 made it the fastest, most maneuverable broom on the market. It was expensive, yes, but every season she held a Gala for the Harpies, where everyone who was anyone in the Wizarding world would attend. The Gala would help raise money for Wizarding families with low income. Between the money she raised from the Gala and the profit off of the brooms that were sold, she was able to give 10 brand new Weasley 480's to the kids in those less fortunate Wizarding families. The idea was Hermione's of course, brilliant it was too.

When Ginny opened the door and stripped her jacket off, she was expecting Fleur to run and trap her in a solid embrace. After all it was only 12 p.m. and the blonde always insisted on waiting up for her.

When no such thing happened, Ginny quickly moved herself into the kitchen, intending to pour herself another tall glass of fire whiskey. Once she entered the small kitchen, her plans were disrupted by a very unconscious Fleur lying on the floor with an empty bottle of pills in her hand.

"Fleur! Babe! Wake up!" Ginny shouted at the girl. Her breathing was very shallow, an indication she was alive, but most likely in a coma due to an overdose.

Ginny knew this was all her fault. Not only was the now empty pill bottle Ginny's, but she had promised Fleur that she would stop taking them every night, just to get high before going to bed.

Feeling as guilty as ever, she grabbed the bottle and pocketed it, picked up the lifeless blonde and walked over to the fire place, grabbing a fistful of floo powder on the way.

Ginny threw the powder into the fire place and green flames burst out of it instantly.

"St. Mungos!" she yelled, just before she stepped into the flames and found herself spinning at a million kilometers an hour with Fleur still passed out in her arms.

Stepping out of the fire place, she yelled for one of the Junior Healers to help her get Fleur to the emergency room.

"We'll take it from here Miss Weasley." They said, rushing her down a white hallway and into the ward for unconscious patients. Having been to St. Mungos many times for Quidditch injuries, Ginny went into auto pilot, signing Fleur in at the front desk.

"Don't worry Ginny, she's going to be alright," said Maureen, the emergency wards receptionist.

"Yeah." was all Ginny could make out as she walked her way to the row of chairs designated for people "waiting" on news from the healers.

It seemed as though Ginny was waiting hours in her seat, reading old editions of The Quibbler before the Healer in charge of Fleur came out to see her. Ginny stood as soon as she saw the woman approach her.

"Miss Weasley," she spoke softly, shaking the red heads hand.

"Miss Delacore is going to be just fine. She seems to have over dosed on some muggle pills called Oxycodon. They typically aren't fatal in less taken more than prescribed. I would imagine they are yours. Am I correct?" the Healer asked.

"Um… I think… They…" Ginny stuttered, trying to come up with a reason why they would be in her possession.

"For all the pain you endure after all those brutal but exciting Quidditch matches you play?" The Healer continued.

Ginny let out a sigh of relief and nodded her head, indicating that the woman was correct with her assumption.

"Well I am not entirely sure whether this was an attempt at suicide for Miss Delacore, or she simply was unaware that taking twenty pain killers could do more than just make your muscles stop hurting. I'm leaning towards the first one though, so I have placed her on 72 hour watch and am going to send you home with some reading material on depression and suicide."

"Um… Okay… thank you ma'am." Ginny spoke softly.

When the Healer left, she asked Maureen what room Fleur was staying in and made her way down the hall.

"Just keep your feet on the ground, Ginny." She spoke to herself. This was not the time to lose herself, especially when her head was already in the clouds to begin with.

She reached room 119 and let herself inside, closing the door softly behind her. Fleur was lying on a bed with several different potion bottles on the desk beside her. She was still unconscious, but her breathing was more regular and Ginny wasn't completely sure she wanted it to be.

Once she took a seat by her lovers bed, she wasn't sure exactly what she was supposed to do. If this were Hermione, she would be freaking out. She would be holding her hand until she woke up, protecting her and praying to every God in existence that she would be okay. But this wasn't Hermione, and you can't hold something in your hand if it isn't true love. You can't feel that person with your heart, if you don't need their heart to survive.

Ginny closed her eyes, and for the first time in weeks allowed herself to picture Hermione. She could see the picture behind her eyes brilliantly, even though it was supposed to be all dark.

"That's where I want to be." Ginny said under her breath. For the first time, she wondered if she really made the right choice. But Ginny knew in her heart that if she would have stayed with Hermione, this would be her and not Fleur. Exactly what she feared would happen to her soulmate actually did happen, only to her replacement instead. Ginny made the right choice; Hermione was safe from her destruction now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **If I had written Harry Potter it's safe to say Ginny would have been with Hermione and Ron would have been with Harry. Seeing as it didn't work out that way, I'm not making any money off this.

Lalalalala! Okay, so I can't sing. Sad face! Guess I can't make money off this then. :/

Thank you everyone who keeps reviewing! This is one is a bit rough, but the next one will defiantly make up for it. I'll post it after the Steelers kick the Packers asses tonight. (By the way, I am not a Steelers fan by any stretch of the word. GO PATRIOTS! But my father-in-law is and seeing as though I live with him right now, I would much rather he stays a happy man. That and my girlfriend takes after her father. So for today only, GO STEELERS!

Please enjoy :)

Chapter 6: Ignorance

A few days after Fleur's trip to the hospital, she was sent back home and declared "healthy". Ginny had spoken less than ten words to the girl at St. Mungos, and found herself wandering the corridors more than by the blondes bedside.

It was a chilly night in Surrey, and Fleur insisted they light a fire and talk about their "relationship" some. After an hour of silence Fleur had enough and cut right to the chase.

"Do you even want to know why it is I dids it?" Fleur finally asked Ginny. She was sick of not knowing why Ginny didn't care about her. Everything she did was pushed aside. Every "I love you" she gave, never received one back. Ginny was a stranger to Fleur and she could no longer go loving someone so lost I herself.

"Sure." Ginny muttered behind a mug of hot tea. She didn't really want to know. There were very few things about Fleur that Ginny truly cared about. Sure Ginny knew she was the reason the blonde tried to off herself, but she didn't really want verbal confirmation of it.

"I dids it, because of you. You don't love me." She spoke softly. "You treat me like dog shit, and I just couldn't take it anymore-"

"That's great. I'm so glad I make you want to kill yourself!" Ginny said sarcastically. She was in no mood to "bond" with the blonde or even talk to her.

"I cannot believe I actually fell in love with someone so fucked up in the head." Fleur continued.

Ginny jumped off the couch, and threw her tea mug at the wall in front of her, making it shatter into a million little pieces.

"So if I'm this terrible person, you must not like me or want me around, right? I'll see myself out the door." She sped towards the front door grabbing her jacket and wand.

"It's a circle you know. You do this to yourself." Fleur said.

"I think you mean cycle, oh French one." She chuckled, opening the door.

"I can't excite you anymore Fleur, so do me a favor and send my shit back to my apartment. We are finished."

"You are such a coward Ginny! You run away from everyone that loves you and for what? Power? Drugs? Freedom?" the blonde followed her into the cold April night.

Ginny whipped around sneering with a dangerous look in her eyes. "Don't you dare fucking judge me Fleur! You really think your one to talk? You just tried to kill yourself with MY drugs! It would have made me just as happy if you tried to kill me instead! At least I have a reason to die, I feel dead inside already. And I told you from day one you were not going to change that." Ginny wasn't going to let this nobody tell her who or what she was.

"I don't want to 'ear all your sad songs about your dead brother, and your lost lover Hermione! I am so tired of feeling your pain! That is all I ever have done in this relationship!" Fleur yelled at the top of her lungs.

Ginny unlocked her Weasley 480 and mounted it as soon as she heard Fleur following her. 'She'll have a hard time talking to me in the air.' Ginny thought to herself chuckling. With one strong push off the ground the red head was up in the moonlit sky and far from sight.

Meanwhile, Fleur was intent on getting what she had to say across to Ginny. She took out a miss-shaped piece of parchment and scribbled the words she hoped she would never have to say.

Ginny,

I may not be Hermione, but I could have been a great friend and lover to you. I would have stuck by you no matter where life had taken us. But you can't accept change.

You have treated me like a stranger, even though I opened up my house and my heart to you.

With this being said, we are finished. I am not happy with what you did to me, but I do not regret loving you, as you are the only woman I may ever love.

I will no longer be living here, your stuff will find its way to your apartment I'm sure.

Have a good life.

Love always,

Fleur

Fleur rolled up the parchment after giving it a once over, making sure her grammar and spelling was all correct. She tied it to the foot of her sleeping owl, Delmonte.

"Monème, could you please take this letter to Ginny?" she cooed softly at the sleeping bird. It shook its feathers signaling he would.

"Thank you." Fleur spoke as she walked away and up the stairs to start packing her stuff. She was in need of some time in France and knew her sister would love to spend time with her.

"Good luck Ginny. I hope you find whatever it is you are looking for."

* * *

Ginny touched down smoothly in front of the Hogs Head, her long hair fell all over the place from the 40 km flight.

"I think it's a good time to get wasted, don't you?" she asked her broom, propping it against the side of the building and casting a silent locking charm.

She opened the doors to the dimly lit tavern and strode her way over to her favorite bar stool.

"Make it a triple Alby. " She called to the man behind the bar.

"You only order a triple when you have lady problems. Wanna tell old Alberforth what that little French woman did now?"

This wasn't an uncommon sight for the bartender. For the last four years Ginny would come in a get plastered at least once a month, usually when she couldn't handle lying to Hermione anymore. She'd come in, get pissed, spout about how she wasn't good enough for the girl and was going to leave her soon, than pass out cold right on her stool for a couple hours. Since she had left Hermione it had turned into three or four times a week. Sometimes, even the nights before a match she'd come in, always begging Alberforth to pour her just one drink. Being a betting man, he refused to give her a single drop any night before a game, seeing as he would lose his money if the Harpies lost.

Ginny was too intent on getting her triple on the rocks of fire whiskey down her throat to notice someone had walked through the door of the Hogs Head, and sat themselves down in the darkest booth, where no one could see them.

"She dumped me. Can you believe that bitch! Dumped me! Hell… it's the best thing that's ever happened to me! Well besides loving Hermione that is. You know Alby, if I wasn't such a fuck up, we could have had a really great life together. Not Fleur of course. The other one." Ginny started to ramble.

"But I'm truly serious, I'm glad she left me. Any longer and I wouldn't have been able to take it. That girl is insufferable! You know what I mean?"

Ginny was starting to feel the alcohol work its magic and loosen her up. It was going to be a long night and a painful morning to endure. Thankfully she didn't have practice till 12 the next day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I'm a bloody wanker! How could I ever make money off this?

Yea, I'm pretty sure if i were Hayley Williams I'd be doing something way cooler than writing this disclaimer. definatly not making money off this... just saying.

Chapter 7: I Caught Myself

After pouring the Quidditch star another tall one, with a splash of seltzer this time, Alberforth thought it best to see what the person in the booth wanted.

"Hey Gin, I'll be right back. I think someone came in a few minutes ago and is sitting in that there booth. I'ma go see what they want." The bartender said.

"No! Let me! I'm a big Quidditch star, you know? I'll get their order and buy their drinks. Hell, maybe it's a hot lady I can fuck tonight?" Ginny finished with a wink. Grabbing what was left of her drink, she walked her way over to the dark booth, only able to make out the silhouette of a well proportioned woman.

"Hey there pretty lady, would I be able to get you a drink?" Ginny tried her best to keep from slurring her words.

"Not unless you work here, love." The woman spoke strongly. Ginny, taken back by her answer, looked around to see if there was anyone else in the bar to hit on. When she couldn't find a single female, she set her sights to reel this one in somehow.

"Um… do you know who I am?" Ginny asked. She was put off by the woman's ignorance, but knew there was a chance she might not follow Quidditch. Ginny could hear the woman chuckle softly and it was beginning to piss her off.

"Oh, please do forgive me! You are the famous Ginny Weasley! How could I ever refuse a drink from my royally fucked up ex girlfriend?" the woman shot back.

"Um… What?" Ginny asked stupidly. The three glasses of fire whiskey she consumed were really starting to cloud her ability to think, and this woman wasn't making any sense.

"Oh just sit down before you fall over, you idiot. I'm going to go get you some water and bread. I refuse to be hit on by you when you're drunk off your bum." The woman walked away and into the light. Ginny thought the woman's body looked incredibly sexy. She had curves in all the right places and her hips swayed like they had a rhythm all to themselves. The thought of undressing her made Ginny's core burn. There was something about this woman that reminded her of Hermione.

"Her hair is straight though, so there is no way it couldn't be her." Ginny thought loudly.

"That's because I straightened it today." She heard the girl yell from across the pub. That voice sounded like Hermione's. But this wasn't the first time Ginny and gotten pissed and imagined the girls she hit on were her one and only true love. Ginny shook it off; convinced her mind was playing with her.

The mystery woman came back after a few minutes with a couple slices of toast, butter and marmalade.

"Eat this, now." She commanded. Ginny knew if there was any hope left that she might get laid tonight, she should probably sober up.

The woman took away her empty glass and replaced it with one just a big, filled with water.

"Don't say another word until you drink every last drop of this." She commanded as she took a bite out of a toast triangle.

When Ginny gulped down the water, she noticed it tasted kind of funny.

"What did you put in this?" she asked her mystery girl.

"Finish it first." She spoke sternly, like a mother to a child.

"God, you sound so much like her…" Ginny muttered under her breath, then chugged the rest of the liquid down.

"I put a sobering potion in it. You'll be clear-headed enough to fly back to your apartment in about an hour." The woman said.

Ginny could feel it already starting to work, giving her more confidence.

"I bet I can make you come with me, love." Ginny said with a wink.

"You always thought you were such a smooth talker. I wonder if that has ever actually worked."

"What's your name, gorgeous?" Ginny asked, popping a piece of toast in her mouth. She wanted to figure this girl out.

"Really Gin?" she asked with a sarcastic expression on her face; not that Ginny could see it.

"Yeah, I wanna know whose name I'll be calling out later on."

"You are incorrigible!" the woman laughed. When Ginny wasn't catching on she simply stated, "Hermione."

"Your name can't be Hermione. That's just too much of a… Oh no. You… Oh. I'm so… oh god. I'm sorry Herm… I'm just gonna… I'll see you…" Ginny rambled making her way over to the door, stumbling over herself in the process.

"There is no way in hell you getting on a broom like that Ginervra." Hermione yelled following her out the door. By the time she caught up with her, Ginny was mounting her broom drunkenly. In a last effort to keep Ginny's feet on the ground, Hermione ran and jumped onto the back of the broom right as she was about to take off.

Ginny felt Hermione's arms wrapped tight around her waist as she climbed high into the air. This wasn't the first time Ginny had gotten pissed and flew home. It was better than taking a chance at apparation and splinching herself.

"Ginny! Put this broom down now!" Hermione screamed into Ginny's ear. The red head had no intention of doing any such thing though. Hermione, whipping through the air at speeds she had never experienced, couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of Ginny's back pressed against her front. 'This feels so bloody good!' Hermione thought to herself. Terrified as she was of how high they were, and how fast they were flying, didn't seem to terrify her nearly as much as the hot liquid pooling in between her legs.

"God I want you so bad…" Hermione let slip through her lips. Ginny heard her slip-up. Hermione purred into her ear, and it made her want to get back to her apartment even faster. Ginny nearly doubled their speed, now flying faster than any person should with someone behind them.

Chastising herself for saying that out loud, Hermione didn't even realize Ginny was flying so fast until they made a vertical dive for the ground.

"Are you trying to kill us?" Hermione yelled at the top of her lungs. With a smile Ginny pulled up from the dive only 5 meters away from her door step. She landed clumsily on the ground and as soon as Hermione could compose herself enough, her hand met Ginny's face with a loud slap!

"How could you do something like that to me? You know I hate flying! And your fucking pissed off your arse still!" Hermione was fuming.

"Me? How about you! How could you go that long without telling me it was you?"

"I tried to tell you…"

"Oh, really? Everyone looks like you when I'm that wasted! You should have told me right in the beginning you bitch!" Ginny's face was met once more by Hermione's hand. The sting from the slap was starting to show and she automatically regretted yelling at the witch.

"I'm sorry…" Ginny spoke softly. She couldn't meet Hermione's eyes. So tired she was of seeing pain there that she had caused.

Before Hermione could even stop herself she lunged forward at Ginny and captured her red swollen lips in a searing kiss. Instinct took over and all she could do was attack this girl in front of her with a passion she hadn't even realize was burning inside her.

Ginny felt like her entire existence was coming down on top of her. Never had she needed to feel this woman so badly in her life. Kissing the brunette forcefully, she lifted the smaller woman on top her strong body and Hermione wrapped her legs around her waist, tangling her hands in the red heads untamed hair. Ginny walked them to the front of her apartment door and opened it with a swish of her wand.

The women barely made it up the two flights of stairs that lead to Ginny's flat, before their clothes were being ripped off their bodies. Ginny slammed Hermione into the door. She pushed her cut abs into Hermione's core, making the girl beg for more contact.

"Please Ginny…" Hermione pleaded into Ginny's mouth. The red head dropped Hermione's legs to the ground and opened her apartment door. She grabbed the torn up shirt clinging to Hermione's perspiring skin and finished it off, leaving more skin for her eyes, hands, and lips to devour.

"Get to the bedroom." Ginny growled under her voice.

Hermione took off running and Ginny followed like a hunter closing in on its prey. With a flick of Ginny's wand both of the girls were stripped down to nothing. Hermione was lying on the bed they had last made love in, one leg propped up, with eyes holding so much fire, Ginny was sure they could burn Ginny into oblivion.

Ginny's gaze was hypnotic, making Hermione's legs ache to open for this woman.

"Ginny, you better fucking take me now." Hermione growled dangerously.

"This is all we can be Hermione; I will not destroy you too. This is all we can have together, one night of pure happiness." Ginny spoke sternly as she crawled on top of Hermione's naked form.

"Do you still love me, Ginny?" Hermione asked, searching for the answer in her bright green eyes.

"I always will." Ginny said breathlessly, she wanted nothing more than to take this beautiful woman, and make her see things beyond what the most beautiful magic in the world could create.

"When I thought you were someone else, I knew I didn't want you. But I should have never thought at all. Cause here you are. And god do I want you." Ginny said in a husky voice, hovering only an inch away from Hermione's soft curves.

"Take me Gin. I don't care what this is. I need you inside me, now."

That was all Ginny could handle. Capturing her lover's lips, she pressed every bit of skin she could against the other girls.

As both women came for each other over and over again that night, they had the same thoughts on their minds; that this felt so right, this was perfect. But it wouldn't fix Ginny. And it wouldn't fix them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I own a little 5-speed Ford escort, not a fleet of limo's. That means I'm not making any gas money off that.

Once again, little 5-speed, not a tour bus. Mega sad face.

Thank you if you reviewed!

Chapter 8: Until Tomorrow

Hermione couldn't believe it. Once more she lay beside her lover, scarred for her life she'd be left alone again. Ginny told her up front this was a one-time deal, and Hermione knew it would be over soon enough.

Their night of passion was more than just sex to Ginny, it was symbiosis. Never had Ginny felt so connected to everything in the world. It was an out of body experience and it scared her half to death. The kind of love she just made with Hermione was something so powerful, it could cure her. For the first time since her brother had died, saving her life, she felt that void fill up with something so pure, she felt of ecstasy. She wasn't alone in this either. Hermione's eyes shown with a radiance Ginny had never before seen on a human being, which is exactly why the brunette was staring at the wall, instead of Ginny.

When they made love, it was as though they were giving each other life. Pure life force poured between the two making them one. It was the most incredible, but scariest experience they had ever endured together.

Ginny took in the sight before her; Hermione laying on her front, her perfect brown ringlets cascading over her right shoulder, smelling of summer. The outline of her left ear, jaw line and neck in the candle light. Her bare back with creamy skin. Her toned arms reached out above her head opening her sides up so Ginny could see just a hint of Hermione's right breast and each rib expand in her ribcage with every breath she took.

"When did you get this?" Ginny asked Hermione, tracing the words that had been permanently inked into her skin with her eyes. They weren't there the last time Ginny was in this bed, and Ginny only noticed them in the after-glow of the passion they both had just endured.

"The last time you left me alone in your bed." Was all Hermione said, still gazing at a spot on the wall.

"Can you, um… turn so I can read them?" Ginny asked, hoping this wasn't too much to ask from her.

Hermione took a deep breath and turned her head looking into Ginny's eyes. She could see the sincerity that was hinted in her voice and complied, turning the rest of her body so she was lying on her left side facing the redhead. Hermione lifted her right arm above her head so that she could give Ginny a full view of her breasts and ribcage.

Ginny traced each word inked intothe right side of her ribcage slowly, as she read them taking in their meaning and chastising herself for being the reason this perfect person, endured so much pain.

_I climb,_

_I slip,_

_I fall,_

_Reaching for your hands_

_But I lay here all alone, sweating all your blood._

_If I could find out how,_

_To make you listen now_

_Because I'm starving for you here_

_With my undying love._

_And I will,_

_Breathe for love tomorrow, _

_Cause there's no hope for today._

_Breathe for love tomorrow,_

_Cause maybe there's another way._

Ginny felt a tear roll silently down her face and fall onto her breast. Hermione instinctively wiped the trail it left away, from her breast to her cheek, with a sad smile. Hermione had gotten the tattoo as soon as she left Ginny's apartment the next morning. Never before had words meant so much to her. Never before had she wanted, no, needed words etched into her skin. Every night in bed she lay awake singing those words to herself. It was her strength. "Breathe for love tomorrow, cause maybe there's another way."

"Did it hurt?" Ginny asked softly, tracing the last word of Hermione's tattoo with her finger tip.

"Not nearly as bad as this one." Hermione said softly, referring to the permanent "MUDBLOOD" carved into the skin of her left bicep. The first time Ginny had ever seen what Belletrix had done to Hermione she nearly apperated to Azkaban with the intention of killing her. If it wasn't for Hermione's soft arms holding the girl in place as she cried and shook with anger, she would probably be in prison herself.

Ginny moved her hand off the beautiful black script and began tracing the pattern of Hermione's magically permanent scar.

"You are more beautiful than anything in the world." She whispered to Hermione. When she finished the last "D" of Hermione's scar, she could feel Hermione shiver and pull away. Ginny felt like she was no better than Belletrix. She had now permanently scarred Hermione and would forever be reminded of it.

"I have to go. Kingsley wanted me to come into the Ministry early today; we have a lot of things to go over, to get ready for the big change. I trust you'll be staying here now that you're no longer with Fleur?" she asked Ginny, clasping the bra Ginny striped her of the night before, spinning it and pulling her arms through the loops.

"That was the plan. I have to figure out where she put all my stuff though; something tells me they might all be in a garbage dump somewhere…" Ginny said more to herself than to the now almost fully dressed Hermione.

"Would serve you right, you were worst to her than you were to me. And that's damn well saying something." Hermione intended to hurt Ginny with her words. There was no way she would let her just get away with doing something so terrible, no matter how much she loved her.

The lawyer slipped on her 4 inch black pumps and fixed her brown ringlets in the mirror across from Ginny's bed. She could just make out the reflection of Ginny in the candle light. The redhead was obviously lost in her own, depressed thoughts. Hermione adjusted herself in the mirror so her breasts weren't falling out from her bra and began buttoning her blouse when she felt two strong arms snake around her waist, halting her process.

Hermione sighed out loud and turned herself into Ginny's embrace moving her arms under Ginny's, and her hands up the girls beautifully toned back. They shared a moment of silence, Hermione holding onto Ginny's naked form, Ginny holding onto Hermione's power suit.

"I'm sorry." Was all Ginny could make come out of her mouth. Hermione pulled away from her and picked up her wand. She summoned her expandable purse she kept with her and placed a hand on Ginny's pale white cheek.

"I'll see you around, Gin." She spoke closing the distance between them and placing a caste kiss on the younger girl's forehead.

Without another word she spun on her heels and with two strides was out of Ginny's bed room. Before Ginny got the chance to follow her, there was a resounding CRACK in the hallway, signaling Hermione was gone.

"How does it feel to be the one left behind there, Gin?" She spoke to the full length mirror in front of her. "Does it feel good?"

Disgusted by her own form, she made her way to the bed she had just spend hours on, feeling like an entire human being. Not just pieces of one. Could Hermione really save her? If last night was any indication, there might be hope for Ginny yet.

'But you don't deserve her anymore. You have scarred her forever, just like Bellitrix Lestrange.' She thought to herself. Curling up into a ball she cried herself to sleep, knowing she had a few more hours before she was due on the pitch.

* * *

Hermione was singing softly to herself in the office of Kingsley Shackbolt.

"Breathe, for love tomorrow, cause maybe there's… another-"

"Hermione!" A large African man shouted warmly in greeting. Hermione was startled by her friend's grand entrance and stood abruptly to shake his offered hand.

"Good morning Minister." She spoke strongly to the politician.

"Oh, enough with all that Minister nonsense! It's simply Kingsley, as I have told you many times before. You'll soon understand how ridicules "Minister" sounds coming from the mouth of an old friend or a close collegue." Kingsley spoke in his loud commanding voice. One Hermione had learned to look up to under his administration.

"So have you put together a game plan for the change of office ceremony? I'm still convinced it should be held at the "Weasley Gala for Wizarding Families in Need". I trust you'll be able to set it all up in a month's time. And if it's done at the Gala, that's one less reason for me to break out those dreadful dress robes." Kingsley shuddered at the thought.

"Um, I will have to owl Miss Weasley asking if it would be ok to make the announcement for your predecessor at her Gala. I happen to know it is one of the few things she actually cares deeply for in her life." She spoke sternly, receiving a curt nod from the Minister.

"Okay than, I must be getting back to my department. I have four new cases sitting on my desk, and I just know there isn't a soul willing to touch them but me." Hermione joked. She once more shook the Ministers rather large hand and made her way to her office, where she found a stack of folders as tall as a house elf.

"Breathe, Hermione. Just breathe."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** My girlfriend just rudely pointed out that my spelling capabilities are not nearly as good as a real writers are. Not gonna make a dime off this am I? Oh well...

She also just pointed out I am no Hayley Williams. Sadly.

Guess what?

That's right, I love reviews :}

**Enjoy a little Ginny bashing.**

Chapter 9: For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic

Ginny sat in the locker room of the Holly Head Harpies stadium. She was currently tending a muscle-deep cut that ran from mid thigh to the top of her hip.

"Fuck!" she hissed, applying the disinfecting potion to her wound. Every time they played the Foulmouthed Falcons she always got hurt. Her first year she ended up in St. Mungos, with no clue who she was. After a lot of memory charms and brain strengthening potions, she made a full recovery and finished her record-breaking season.

And then last year, when they met the all male team in the conference playoffs, their seeker, Balouris Benjorski, had taken the club off one of the Harpies' beaters and swung it right into Ginny's shoulder, breaking her collarbone in two places. Thankfully, the foul was so terrible, it made the Falcons forfeit the game and Ginny recovered just in time to take Holly Head straight to the championship. Ginny was thankful this time, that she was only on the receiving end of a nasty flesh wound, though she was keenly unaware of how, exactly, it got there.

Once Ginny had her leg patched up with an entire roll of athletic tape, she threw all her supplies into her Harpies duffle bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Limping out of the locker room, she gazed up into the dark, now empty stadium. The sight was breath-taking. After their second win of the Championship Cup, the Harpies rebuilt the entire stadium, making it the largest, most advanced magical structure in England. The stadium fit over 30,000 fans and took in about as many as it could fit almost every week they played at home. This was all Ginny had left, she realized. She had made her life meaningless when she hurt Hermione. Now her ex-lover didn't need her, and she needed to find a way around that.

Ginny had received an official owl from Hermione a few days after their encounter together. When Ginny wrote back stating she thought it would be a great idea to hold the change of office ceremony during the gala, she had ended it with,

"Love,

Ginny.

P.S. Lunch Saturday, my place?"

It was a long shot but Ginny really needed to talk to the girl. She knew Hermione no longer needed her to survive; she had her tattoo to remind her of all the pain she was escaping by not going near Ginny. But the redhead had felt something real the night they made love, and as foolish as she was for wanting it, she had to feel that whole again.

When Ginny received Hermione's response the next day, she jumped up and down like a kid who just watched their country win at the World Cup. The letter was short and very formal, thanking her for letting the Ministry use the Gala for their Change of office ceremony. But it to ended with,

"Sincerely,

Hermione Granger.

Head Lawyer:

Department of Legal Protection of Magical Creatures.

P.S. I'll bring the food.

Ginny felt it was a promising start.

* * *

That Saturday, Hermione was quickly regretting her decision to meet with Ginny. Not only was she beyond swamped with work, but she was sure meeting with her ex-lover would end up in bed, or in a terrible fight. Though Hermione had a feeling it could defiantly be both.

Regardless of her hesitation, she picked up a few sandwiches and some ice cold pumpkin juice from the trolley at her work, and apperated with them into Ginny's kitchen at exactly twelve o'clock. When Hermione heard a high pitched scream come from the bed room, she chuckled to herself, knowing she had woken Ginny up.

"Expelliarmus!" Ginny yelled to the stranger in her kitchen. When Hermione's wand flew to her she caught it and blushed realizing it was only her ex-lover and not an intruder. Ginny limped her way down the hall and handed a very annoyed Hermione her wand back, sheepishly.

"Sorry there, Herm. I didn't realize it was Saturday and well… you sorta startled me." She explained, sitting herself down at the table and grabbing her wrapped up sandwich.

"Oh it's all right. I should have apparated outside and had you ring me up. I'm sorry I startled you."

Both women ate their sandwiches in silence, Ginny stealing a glance every couple bites.

Ginny cleared her throat after she swallowed her last bite, capturing Hermione's attention.

"So… I was thinking that maybe we could… well were both going to be there right? So why not just be there together? I mean it makes a whole lotta sense, cause someone as important as you would need a date, and well… it's my shindig and all so I need one too, and we have always gone together, obviously, so why not this time, you know?" Ginny rambled at a million kilometers an hour.

"Firstly, you just sounded an awful lot like Ron there, and secondly, what are you talking about?" Hermione said.

"Um… the Gala slash Changing of Office thinger-ma-bob?" Ginny asked shyly.

What about that sentence made Hermione start laughing was beyond the both of them, but the witch couldn't stop for anything.

"You, haha, want me to, haha, wait. Ha! Let me get this out, hahaha!" Hermione tried to get through her laughter, "You want ME to be YOUR date. That is just about the funniest shit I have heard all week."

"Great, if you are not going to take this seriously than forget I ever fucking mentioned it. Thanks for the sandwich." She said menacingly. Ginny got up from her chair and sped back to her room shutting her door loudly and throwing the lock.

"Really Gin? What exactly did you think I would say?" Hermione yelled through the door.

"And now you're just gonna run away? You can't run away like that every time you hear something you don't like Gin." She yelled.

"I never wanted to say this Ginny, but maybe I should really spell it out for you. You never wanted to stay. Our whole relationship you wanted out, and I knew it! But I still but all my faith in you, cause guess what? I LOVED YOU! And what did you do? You just threw it all away like it meant nothing." Hermione spat angrily.

Ginny opened the door, bright red tear tracks ran down her pale face and she was hyperventilating.

"You know I'm not that naive Hermione. I can see what I did to you, hell I hurt you so bad you scarred yourself so you would never forget it. But I have noticed something; you shy away from almost everything. You are not as strong as you think you are Hermione. And I promise you, if you give up on us like I did, that makes you just as terrible as me. You'll be alone the rest of your life, and you'll deserve it." She yelled back at the brunette.

"You were finished trying to heal long before we had even seen the start of a relationship! So what made you do it Ginny? What was the last straw for you? What made you give up completely? Huh? Come on Ginny! Cat caught your tongue! Stand up and be a man about this! Tell me the truth!" Hermione was screaming so loud she couldn't even hear her racing heart beat. Somewhere in the middle of her rant Hermione had grabbed Ginny's hands and was shaking them violently.

"'CAUSE I WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU! HOW CAN I MAKE YOU HAPPY LIKE YOU DESERVE, WHEN I CAN'T EVEN MAKE MYSELF HAPPY?" Ginny finally broke. Her leg had given out under the stress and Hermione was now looking down at Ginny, crying so hard it almost looked as though blood was pouring down her face.

"What makes you think that's no longer still true? How can you make me happy, if you can't make yourself happy?" Hermione said emotionlessly. Ginny couldn't lift her head off the ground. Hermione was right, and Ginny couldn't face it. How was she going to get better without her though?

"Prove to me you want to heal. Prove it, and maybe next year you'll have a date to the fucking Gala." Hermione said. She grabbed Ginny by the back of her hair, balled it up in her fist and yanked her head up so they were inches apart. Ginny's eyes looked beyond terrified, but Hermione took no pity on the tear stained face before her.

"Prove to me, you love me, and you want to heal."

Ginny tried to kiss the lips that were only inches away, but was yanked back further by the hand wrapped in her hair.

"HOW? I DON'T KNOW HOW TO HEAL WITHOUT YOU!" she sobbed into the air.

"You can't heal with me either, not unless you want it bad enough." She let go of Ginny's hair with a rough shove and backed her way out of the hallway and into the kitchen. Grabbing her purse she drank the rest of her now room temperature pumpkin juice, never letting her eyes stray from the sobbing redhead on the floor.

"Thanks for lunch, Gin." She spoke more confidently than she felt. Walking back to Ginny she bent down and whispered into her ear, "I love you, but I don't need you." A second later Ginny heard a CRACK and Hermione was once more, gone.

"But I need you Hermione. How can I do this without you?" she sobbed to the empty room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter, the books would be a bit more... lesbian ;)

On that note, if I owned Paramore, Hayley would be too.

Short chapter, but it sets up a nice long one to come :) Most likely coming out Saturday, depeneding on how early I get up tomorrow.

Chapter 10: That's What You Get

"You know what Ron? I'm so tired of taking all the God damn blame! I mean, yes. Everything is my fault. But, she isn't exactly being the most understanding person in the world!" Ginny said.

Ron did feel bad for his baby sister. Because of this, he found himself at the end of her very short temper a few times a week.

"Well, have you told Hermione this?" Ron asked, though he was sure telling the brunette any of Ginny's pain was her fault, would end with an unforgivable curse.

"NO! I DON'T HAVE A BLOODY DEATH WISH! ARE YOU COMPLETELY MAD?" she yelled at him.

"Um… maybe? Your right though, you need to be winning her heart back, not pissing her off more. Tell me, what did she do that has you so rallied up baby-sis?" He asked her.

"Well, I sent her favorite flowers, lilacs, to her office last week with a note saying

'I'm thinking about you.'

So what does this bitch do? She castes an aging spell on them and sends them back with a note saying,

'Picturing me naked isn't healing Ginervra.'

I mean that's not even remotely what I meant by that! And. She knows I hate it when she calls me Ginervra… I feel like I'm being scolded by my… my mother…" she growled dangerously.

Ron knew there had to be more going on than just flowers so he encouraged Ginny to continue.

"Then! Yesterday, I saw her at Madam Mackin's, and she was being fit for the dress robes she's going to wear to the Gala, that she refuses to go with me to by the way, and I stopped in to say hello, you know? Well long story short I have to pee right? So she follows me to the loo and we end up making out like a bunch of horny teenagers! Then she says, and I quote, "You really haven't made any progress at all." And she leaves! She kissed me, stuck her hand up my shirt, and than left!"

Ginny was pacing back and forth through the kitchen at Grimmauld Place.

"Why do we have to hurt so much Ron? I mean, why does she want me to hurt so much?" Ginny pleaded to her brother for an answer.

"Baby sis, I think it's safe to say, that's what you get, when you let your heart win." He answered solemnly.

"You don't get it though, the last time we made love I just let myself drown in her heartbeat. Just listening to the sound of its beating made me feel alive! It made me feel like for a moment, all the shit that's fucked up in my head, was put right. I can't explain it any better than that. And then! She's all like, '_If you can prove you want to heal, I'll take you back_.' But how am I supposed to even FEEL without her here! I mean I have burned every bridge I have ever built when I left her. Not even harry talks to me and he's your god damned husband!" Ginny fumed at her brother.

"Hey, Harry just feels that in this situation its best to stay out of both sides. He's not talking to Hermione either, so don't you take it out on him." Ron said sternly.

"Bro, you know that's not what I meant. I just wish... she gave me a fair chance." Ginny spoke softly.

"Well, do you think you even deserve a second chance, Gin? Much less a fair one?" Ron questioned boldly.

Ginny thought about it and the answer was clear. She really didn't deserve anything.

"Come one Sis; let's go get you some stunning dress robes for the Gala. You are gonna be the center of attention tomorrow night and if you wanna make Hermione miss you just as much as you miss her, you are gonna have to look smashing!" Ron said making Ginny laugh with his best "jazz hands".

"Merlin, you are so gay." Ginny joked at her brother. Giggling, the two youngest Weasley's left Grimmauld Place and apperated to the center of Diagon Alley.

"You know I have always felt you and Hermione were perfect for each other. I was actually waiting for you to pop the question, not cheat on her." Ron chuckled to himself.

"Yea, I use to imagine how I might do it. Get on one knee and look into her eyes. Tell her she is the only person who made me feel anything good and that we should be together forever. Then I'd just go off and get pissed beyond reason and begin planning how I was gonna leave her. I have put that woman through more bullshit than anyone should have to stand. Why did she have to fall in love with baggage like me?" Ginny asked her brother.

Ron pondered this question as they made their way to Madam Mackin's and finally came up with the perfect answer.

"Because she was nothing but baggage too! You two were suppose to help each other out with that. Now she's let you help her, but you're too stubborn to let her help you! So she couldn't help you fix yourself. Tell me, when was the last time she had a nightmare about Belletrix?" Ron asked.

"Um… months ago. They don't happen very often anymore." She answered.

"And what did you do when she had it?" he further enquired.

"I held her and told her how beautiful and smart and magically gifted she is." Ginny said.

"So you helped her get through it. Now, how come you go and do crazy stupid things, and get wasted or high, every time you go to that dark place in your past? Why not go to Hermione?"

"Cause I'm scared she won't love me anymore if she sees that…" Ginny answered solemnly.

The duo was approaching the clothing shop when it dawned on her that she had to do.

"So your saying, I have to show Hermione who I am when I'm like that, and let her bring me back?" she asked stupidly.

"Oh baby sis… there might just be hope for you yet!" Ron said with a smile, and opened the door for his baby sister.

"Idiots first…" he chuckled out, receiving a firm punch to the gut.

"Arseholes last!" she called back running into the shop.

Ron knew they would figure it out with time. "Yes, time heals all wounds."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I'm not a goddess, need more be said?

That disclaimer is good for both Jo and Hayley in my opinion.

Yummy cookies… you know what to do ;)

Chapter 11: Fences

Ginny couldn't believe how pathetic she felt at this exact moment. This time last year, she was standing in the Harpies Stadium's main ballroom, nervous off her arse, with the one woman in the world that could calm her down. She remembered the way it felt when Hermione's hands snaked their way around her waist, holding their bodies flush against each other so Ginny could feel Hermione's heart beating wildly in her chest. Right now, she could almost feel Hermione's breath on her ear, and hear her soft words of confidence, even though the witch was nowhere in sight. Ginny shook these thoughts from her head.

"This place seems more and more like the Department of Mysteries every year…" Ginny mumbled to herself.

Having lashed out at Ron and Harry a few minutes before, the redhead went in search of finding somewhere to calm her nerves.

She found herself wandering the blinding white hallways that seemed to never end, just outside of the main ballroom. The purposes of these hallways were unknown to her, but at the moment it was a nice change from the colorful world outside.

Ginny knew in only five minutes time, she would have to be the star everyone thought she was. She would smile at the camera's, laugh at her brother's jokes, make a toast to the importance of family and love, and play with children that like her once, didn't have much. She really doubted she could pull all this off tonight. Already promising herself she would drink no alcohol, she had formulated a game plan to keep her out of the limelight as much as possible, but was fully aware it most likely wouldn't work.

"Hell, I might as well just sell all I got, though there ain't much left. This was my career choice; leaving Hermione was my choice as well. Guess you gotta face the public when you insist on being a big fucking Quidditch star, and now, I gotta do it alone. No turning back from here." She said. Ginny turned herself around and walked through the maze of confusingly tall white walls. After a few minutes and a turnaround or two, Ginny found the door that led to the back of the Gala ballroom and made her way through it.

"Ginny! We are just about to open the doors! Look at 'em!" she could hear Ron shout from across the very large room.

Sure enough, when Ginny looked towards the magically locked doors, she could see at least a hundred people trying to get a good look at her, her friends and her family.

"Why did they make the doors out of glass, Ron?" Ginny chuckled to herself.

"'Cause they knew it would piss us all off, that's why!" he laughed back.

"Well, it's time to get this party started, I guess. Merlin, it's so weird doing this without Hermione." she spoke.

"Hey Neville, you heard the lady! Let's get those doors open!" Harry yelled jokingly at his friend, who was putting the last finishing touches on one of the flower arrangements.

"It would be my honor, Mister Potter." Neville said in a way that reminded them all of Lucius Malfoy. He bowed his body forward and cast a silent spell towards the door simultaneously. Everyone in the ballroom broke in laughter from the awkward man before them.

"How are you still single?" Luna asked in her dreamy, but serious tone.

Before anyone could answer, people of all ages were filling the ballroom at dangerous speeds, everyone fighting to be the next one to shake Ginny's hand in greeting.

Pleasantries such as; "Good evening!", "How are you doing?", "Oh I'm great, thank you!", and "I hope you enjoy tonight!" filled the air. It took over an hour to get all the guests into the ballroom and as soon as Ginny was done shaking the last man's hand, the reporters and camera's made their way to the glass doors.

FLASH!

"Ginny! How do you feel about once more making it to the play offs?"

FLASH! FLASH!

"Captain, can you make a statement for the daily profit regarding how you will distribute the money that is made tonight?"

"Gin! Is it true that you don't have a date tonight?"

FLASH!

"When is the change of office ceremony going to take place?"

FLASH!

"Do you have any idea who Minister Shacklebolt has chosen?"

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

"When will your ex-lover, Hermione Granger arrive?"

FLASH!

"Is she even coming out to support you tonight?"

Overwhelmed by every question being shot at her, she took a long, deep breath.

"Everybody, listen up!" FLASH! "I have at least 400 People in here. Ask me all your questions at the next press conference," FLASH! "please. Have a good night!" Ginny said loudly. Neville, being close, by heard Ginny's signal and flicked his wand to the door. Now, it would only open for you if you had an invitation to be there, another idea Hermione had come up with after the first year. Smiling, Ginny remembered the first time they held this event; she had nearly gotten trampled by every reporter in England.

Ginny turned around and was met by smiling faces everywhere. She remembered then why it was she held this Gala.

'For all these kids.' Ginny thought to herself with a smile.

"Aye! Gin! Over here!" she heard her brother, George, call to her from the bar.

"Okay sis, this is your hootenanny, so this one is for you! Time to get the party started!" he spoke excitedly. George handed Ginny a shot of fire whiskey and slammed his own back.

"Thanks for the toast Bro, but I think it's best if I don't drink tonight." she said giving her brother back the shot.

"Okay sis, but you're missing out!" he said with a smile and a wink. George threw back the shot intended for her and slammed the glass back onto the bar. As soon as it made contact with the surface, fireworks shot out the top and filled the high ceiling.

"That's Ginny!" she heard a small girl squeal from somewhere in the room. Sure enough when Ginny looked above her, she saw a large colorful version of herself, flying all around the room.

"George! The details are incredible!" she shouted excitedly. True enough they were. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, flying behind her. It looked like the flaming end of a rocket ship. She was riding a Weasley 480, and holding the UCW cup proudly above her head.

"That ones from Fred, Sis." He spoke softly into her ear. At the mention of her deceased favorite brother, Ginny could feel the tears swell in her eyes.

"Thank you, George." She spoke softly, feeling a small smile of remembrance creep onto her face. George put his hand on the small of Ginny's back and pointed over to the far end corner of the ballroom.

"There's your lady. Ron said something about winning her heart back tonight?" he said with a mischievous grin. Ginny turned into her brother and hugged him with all her might.

"Thank you." she whispered into his good ear. Ginny knew Fred's death hurt him even more than it hurt Ginny, if it wasn't for Angelina Johnson, she might not have the other twin right now. She reminded herself to thank the beautiful woman again, next time she saw her.

Ginny wiped away the last of her tears and adjusted her revealing tight black dress, earning a smirk from George.

"Gooooood luuuuck…" he sang sarcastically. With a final look of enjoyment, he turned around and ordered a round of shots for everyone at the bar.

Ginny took off in the direction her brother had pointed to, wondering how Hermione could have gotten into the building without being seen by her. Ginny saw a group of ministry officials standing by the stage in the corner and knew if Hermione was anywhere tonight, it would probably be next to the Minister himself.

"Kingsley!" Ginny shouted in warm greeting. A couple of older officials muttered amongst themselves at the informal title she gave the Minister of Magic.

"Ginny! The Gala looks absolutely beautiful this year!" he spoke clearly, using his hands to emphasize the decor surrounding them.

"That was all Neville and Luna, I assure you." she said, giving him a small smile.

Ginny was aware that all eyes were on her, but the only ones she cared about right now were the brown ones staring holes into her record-breakingly low cleavage line.

Ginny cleared her throat in an effort to attain some confidence.

"Uh… Hermione… you look, absolutely breathtaking this evening." She said, blushing as red as the color of her hair.

Having sensed the tension between the two ladies, Minister Shacklebolt guided their group over to the bar with the promise of "Firebombs" as he called them. This left the two women alone, and for that, Ginny was extremely thankful.

"Well you see, you take a shot of fire whiskey, and drop it in a glass of butterbeer…" The girls heard the Minister explaining his concept to the older generation. They both couldn't control their laughter at how perceptive the man could still be.

Looking again at Hermione, she really didn't think breath taking was a good enough description of the girl. Hermione wore a bright red dress that reminded Ginny of Christmas. It had a thick black ribbon accentuating her small waist, the skirt flared out from her hips to her knees like a very large funnel made from clothe, her top was held up by thin spaghetti straps that made her neckline go on forever, and she wore her favorite black "Fuck me" pumps.

"I… I really, um. You look, so beautiful, Hermione." she finally got out, blushing even deeper than before.

"You look pretty gorgeous yourself, there." Hermione said without a beat. She chastised herself for saying that, but it was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Turning red from embarrassment she tore her eyes away from the stunning redhead.

Hermione had been fully prepared to see Ginny tonight. She was aware the girl would look incredible, she was Ginny fucking Weasley! Hermione was convinced the witch could look great in a muumuu. But when she had entered the Gala and caught a glimpse of the girl in her long flowing black ball gown, with a neck line that plunged all the way to her navel, and a back that was completely bare, showing every single freckle she had kissed over the last 4 years, it was just too much to handle.

Ginny stepped forward, revealing the slit in her dress that reached all the way up to the top of her thigh, showing the girls' perfectly toned leg and black, three inch stilettos.

'Yes, that dress doesn't leave much for the imagination.' Hermione thought, trying to shake the images in her head away.

"That firework display was some incredible magic!" Hermione said in her attempt to break the sexual tension climaxing between them.

"Was that Georges doing?" she continued.

Hermione saw the change in Ginny's eyes before she was given an answer.

"Um, sorta I guess. He said they were… that it was from, Fred." She spoke softly. Hermione took the final step dividing them and instinctively wrapped her arms around the taller girl. Ginny fell into her embrace and found she couldn't stop the few valiant tears making their way, once more this night, down her cheeks. Burying her face into Hermione soft neck she took in a long breath. Hermione scent was so familiar, but was still slightly different from how it used to be. Ginny couldn't put her finger on it.

"He would have been so proud of you, Gin." She spoke softly. Hermione's placed her hands on her lower back and began to rub small circles on her bare skin. When she felt the redhead's muscles shudder under the intimate contact, she instantly became aware of their surroundings and pulled away, leaving Ginny feeling alone and miserable again.

"Thanks…" she mumbled softly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Don't mention it." Hermione said with a soft smile. She was aware that was the first time in four years that Ginny had ever allowed herself to cry in Hermione's arms.

"I'm going to go do one of those "Firebombs" with the Minister. Care to join me?" Hermione asked politely.

"You know he hates it when you call him that, right?" Ginny chuckled, receiving a glare from the woman in red.

"Um, I'm not drinking tonight. But I will drop you off at the bar!" Ginny spoke quickly; presenting her arm to the woman she loved.

Before Hermione could decide what to do, at least ten kids from ages five to sixteen surrounded the Quidditch star, chanting for her to play the games and help to break the large piñata hanging in the center of the ballroom.

"I'll be fine on my own." Hermione said with a soft smile, leaving Ginny to play with the kids.

"Okay! Let's go break that bludger to pieces!" she yelled to the jumping kids.

For the next hour Ginny spent time playing pin the tail on the hippogriff, dunk the Falmouth Falcon (the Harpies worst rival), life size wizards chess (with the help of Ron), and smashed the piñata shaped like a bludger with the official teams Beaters bats. When the candy, furnished my Honeydukes, burst out the bottom, all the kids rushed to the ground, smiles plastered on their faces.

All this felt extremely good, giving back to the kids that supported her through the last three years. But none of it felt as good as the deep brown eyes attached to her every move.

'Merlin, I love this girl so much.' Ginny thought to herself, giving Hermione a winners smile while hugging a small girl, who hoped to grow up to be "just like Ginny".

'Gods, I love that girl so much." Hermione thought, watching Ginny hug the small girl back, telling her to practice hard every day. 'That smile… there is no escaping that incredible smile.' She continued to think.

Ginny hi-fived every kid in the room from her squatted position, making every kid, with the exception of a few of the smaller one's, seem taller than her. Once she had gone through them all, she popped back up, her muscles rippling. Watching Ginny made Hermione blush crimson, as she couldn't seem to control her thoughts for the girl at all.

'Merlin, Hermione! Pull yourself together. This is your night too!' she thought to herself.

Ginny strut her way to the bar and grabbed two glasses of champagne. Too entranced by the redhead's movement, Hermione didn't realize Ginny was walking to her till she was standing right in front of her, holding out the glass of champagne. Hermione accepted it with a small smile, letting her fingers linger against Ginny's hand a bit longer than necessary.

"A toast!" Ginny rang out; the entire ballroom went silent in anticipation for the Quidditch stars words.

Ginny caste a look around, seeing all the familiar faces she loved so dearly, from her parents, to her old professors.

"This year has been one filled with uncertainty for me. I have struggled greatly with the life choices I've made recently, and though I regret them, doing so will not change them. Even though I have made all these bad choices, you all have stuck by my side. Whether it's because you all believe in me, or simply just love me, I thank you. All of you. So a toast! To all of you that know hardship, finically, or personally. May you all be surrounded by love, and opportunity!" she said loudly. Ginny watched as everyone raised their glass in her direction and then took a sip of their own drinks.

Hermione cleared her throat, catching the redhead's attention.

"I thought you weren't going to drink tonight?" she asked, her voice low.

"Mine is apple juice." Ginny said with a smile taking a sip of the sweet nectar inside her glass.

Giggling, Hermione chinked her glass to Ginny's and took a sip of her own.

"Hey! Just because you are not drinking doesn't mean I should be limited to apple juice!" she laughed, hitting Ginny in the arm playfully.

"I figured I'd make yours the same, just in case you didn't believe me. I know I'm not the most credible source." She said turning bright red.

Before Hermione could respond to Ginny's comment, she noticed Minister Shacklebolt giving her the signal. They discussed the timing earlier that day and decided that right after Ginny's toast would be the best time to start the ceremony.

"Thank you, Ginny, for those wonderful words! The beautiful Miss Weasley has graciously agreed to let the ministry hold its change of office ceremony during these wonderful festivities. If you would all please gather round the podium, as I have a few words to say." Kingsley spoke to the room filled with people.

Everyone shuffled their way to the back of the very large room.

"This is going to be exciting, I wonder which one of these old geezers he chose to be his predecessor?" Ginny chuckled into Hermione's ear. Feeling the redhead's breath on her skin made Hermione's body ache to be touched.

'God, it's been years that I've loved her and she can still make me weak in the knees with nothing more than her breath!' Hermione thought to herself.

'Did she just shiver? I think I just made Hermione Granger tremble! Yea, go me!' Ginny thought to herself.

Both the brunette and the redhead made their way to the front of the crowd, Hermione trying her hardest to not look nervous.

'What has got her acting like this? I mean I have never seen her so jumpy. This dress must really be having an effect on her.' Ginny thought.

Little did she know that statement was very wrong indeed. Hermione was nervous, yes. But Ginny, for once, wasn't the reason.

"Witches and wizards of all ages! Thank you for being here, and once more, thank Ginny for letting us take some of her time with you all. It has been my pleasure working for you all. Over the last four years so much has had to be rebuilt. So many deaths were mourned, and their lives celebrated. But we made it through all this and more because we are all people of kind spirit. I have been most fortunate to represent the bravest people in the world, for four years. Thank you for the opportunity!" he shouted to everyone standing around him.

"Here, here!" George yelled out from somewhere amidst the crowd.

"Thank you, George. If I were to step down and put someone in this office, that had not endured the hardships of the war, and had not helped in every aspect of rebuilding everything it destroyed, I would not do any justice to all, the wonderful people this position serves."

"Who do you think it'll be Herm? I bet it'll be that man who runs the Auror Department, that Harry Potter guy…" Ginny chuckled at her joke.

'You can't turn back now. If things with Ginny don't workout at least you'll have this.' Hermione thought.

"It is my greatest honor to hand over the title, of Minister of Magic, to the brightest witch of her age."

"Wait, what?" Ginny thought out loud.

"Please welcome the brilliant-"

'This is it…' Hermione took a deep breath.

"Hermione Granger!" Kingsley spoke loudly.

The entire room exploded with applause. Hermione took one last deep breath and walked her way to the podium, where Kingsley was standing proudly waiting to shake her hand.

"You are going to hold this office, better than anyone I know." He said to her.

When Hermione took his hand a warm glow left his body and entered their connected hands. Both Kinsley and Hermione took out their wands and placed their tips just above their hands and simultaneously incanted "Ars Ducendi". The warm glow entered Hermione and she felt all eyes on her.

"Thank you, for all your kind words, Kingsley. I only hope to be half as incredible at leading all you wonderful people, as you were." She smiled at him as he bowed his head to the new Minister of Magic.

"I bet some of you are questioning why I am standing here as your Minister today. I'm very young, but I know I am capable of being the leader you all need. You will not find another person on this earth, with the exception of my dearest friends, Ron and Harry, that cares more for you all. I hope to continue the mission Albus Dumbledore started, to spread love and equality throughout the entire magical community, through education. We need to strengthen ourselves, by helping each other. I wish I could promise you all it will be easy. But has anything that has ever been worthwhile, come without struggle? I ask you all stand by my side, and believe in me as much as I believe in all of you."

Hermione stepped down and approached the crowd around her. It seemed like every individual there was trying to shake her hand next.

"Congratulations, Minister!" everyone around her shouted individually.

"We believe in you already, Minister!" a few people shouted above the rest.

After what seemed like a life time, Hermione finally got away from the crowd long enough to see Ginny standing in the corner of the ballroom, chewing on her nails.

"That's a bad habit to pick up, you know." Hermione said softly as she approached the redhead.

"Yea, I've had worse." Ginny answered staring off into space.

"Why didn't you tell me? I mean, I know. You don't need or want me anymore, but you could have at least… I mean. Am I wrong for thinking I ought to have known?" Ginny asked searching Hermione deep brown eyes. Ginny could feel herself already getting lost in them, and tore her face away from the other girl, hiding the tears that threatened to break through.

Hermione put a hand on Ginny's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. They stayed like this for a moment but Ginny soon shook away her tears and slipped that mask of "put togetherness" back into place.

"Congratulations, Minister." Ginny spoke strongly to Hermione, giving her a light bow of respect.

"Please Gin, I don't call you Captain. I'm just Hermione to you, not all that Minister Cock and bull…" Hermione chuckled to herself, Kingsley was right after all.

Ginny gave her a soft smile and stepped closer.

"You are going to be great you know, and I really mean that." Ginny leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Hermione's cheek. The redhead turned and walked away, a hint of sadness in her dark green eyes.

'She is dying on the inside without me. Not that anyone else will notice. God, why do the cameras lie so well?' Hermione thought to herself. There was no turning back now; this was the path that she chose. Now whether Ginny could take it with her or not, she still had yet to decide.

"Well Hermione, you've done the talking, let's see if you can do the walking." Ginny spoke painfully to herself. "Merlin knows that path almost killed me. Hell, it still might." She said sardonically. Taking two pills out from her small hand bag, she swallowed the drugs without water and waited for the numbness to wash over her. This night couldn't end any faster.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I had a dream last night that I was a Rock and Roll playing wizard, does this make me one? No, :(

Fresh baked cookies for my beloved friends; **R.R., LauraFlowi, **and** bigblusky**. This is for you :D

Chapter 12: Here We Go Again

Ginny sat in the chair by her window, watching the rain pound down from the sky, stripping the ground cleaner with each passing moment. It was an hour after the Gala had come to an end. The pills she forced down her throat only seemed to make her go even more numb after the days' events. Ginny cast her gaze to the almost empty bottle of Oxycodone sitting in front of her. She opened the bottle and spilled its contents onto the desk in front of her, counting the exact amount.

"Two… four… six… eight… nine. Guess I can spare a few more tonight." she said to herself, popping two more into her mouth. She swallowed the chalky pills without water and clamped her eyes shut, wishing the pills worked instantly. She just wanted to forget about everything that has happened the last four months.

CRACK!

"What the fuck!" Ginny yelled in surprise. She looked over to her bedroom door, surprised when she saw Hermione standing in front of her, and not Ron.

"Oh, you." Ginny stated pathetically.

"Ginevra." Hermione spoke sternly.

"What do you want?" Ginny asked harshly, casting her best "Weasley" glare.

"I would like it if you could be civil to me for five minutes. Think you can accomplish that?" Hermione asked sternly. The brunette walked her way into the room and to the desk. Once she was close enough, Hermione swept her hand across the surface of the desk, collecting the pills then poured them back into the bottle.

"What are these, Gin?" she asked. Not waiting for the answer, Hermione read the label on the orange bottle that said "**OXYCODONE**" in bold lettering.

"You are so fucking pathetic." Hermione said under her breath.

"Here we go again…"Ginny thought out loud.

"So all those things you said at the Gala, you were high the whole time? I mean… did you even spend one minute to think that maybe, just maybe drugs wouldn't help? Do you even regret taking them? Do you regret anything, Gin?" Hermione was practically shouting at the girl.

"I have no clue who you are anymore." Ginny spoke softly under her breath.

"You don't know who I am? Who are you! You are not the woman I fell in love with."

"Oh, so you don't love me anymore. That's why you took the fucking job…" Ginny thought out loud.

"If you think this job has anything to do with whether I love you or not, you're wrong. But yes, I don't love who you are now, Gin-"

"TAKE IT BACK!" Ginny yelled menacingly.

"No Ginny. I meant that, I don't love you anymore."

Before Ginny could stop it, she launched herself at Hermione.

"Gin, what are you doing?" Hermione yelled as Ginny slammed her body into the wall. The taller girl trapped her to the wall using her strong arms to pin Hermione's shoulders, limiting her movement. Hermione struggled against Ginny's hold, staring daggers into the dangerous green eyes inches from hers.

"Take… it… back…" Ginny growled.

Hermione held her breath, waiting for Ginny to come to her senses and let go of her. When Hermione realized this wasn't going to happen, she let go of the air in her lungs.

"You do realize that you are causing physical harm to the Minister of Magic, correct?" Hermione asked dangerously.

The look in Ginny's eyes went from fury, to hurt, to anger, to rage, than settled on numb in a matter of seconds. With one last shove, Ginny took her hands off Hermione but didn't move from her spot, keeping Hermione between her and the wall.

"Move, Gin." Hermione commanded, feigning confidence, something she felt very little of in this position.

"Make me." Ginny spoke evenly. She was keenly aware when a spark ignited in Hermione's eyes.

After a minute of silence, filled with heavy breathing and heated glares, Ginny backed away from Hermione, walking back to the desk.

"Get out of my Flat. You're not welcome here." She said without emotion. Ginny uncapped the pill bottle once more and popped two more into her mouth, ignoring the disgusted look Hermione cast in her direction.

"I'll write you in a few days, please answer me when I do." Hermione said, surprised at how even her voice sounded, considering her whole body was shaking with emotion.

"I'm leaving now." Hermione spoke softly.

"Finally…" Ginny muttered to herself. She didn't want Hermione near her at the moment. All Ginny wanted was a nice buzz and a long sleep. She had her first playoff game of the season tomorrow. When Ginny herd the loud crack, she immediately turned around, chucking the pill bottle at where Hermione previously stood. Ginny stripped herself of the dress and heels she wore that night, throwing them into the corner trash bin. She crawled into her bed and curled up into a ball, praying the drugs would kick in soon.

She couldn't believe she was back in this position. Just another moment in time she wished never happened.

"Why did I leave her in the first place again? Oh yeah, 'cause she would be better off without me. Turns out I was right. Hell, she's the sodden Minister of Magic of Merlin's sake." Ginny thought out loud. She was right from the beginning. Hermione learned to not need her, and now she didn't even love her. Not only was she living her life perfectly fine without Ginny, she was achieving her dreams without her.

Sighing out loud, Ginny rolled over and got out of bed. She walked her way to the wardrobe across the room and pulled out a robe to wrap around herself. Grabbing her worn down quill and almost dried up ink-well, she sighed once more at what she was about to do. Sitting down to the desk she had had sex on more than she used the way intended, she pulled a piece of parchment out from the drawer.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm writing you this letter to let you know I am alright with this. I understand you have moved on and are now engaged in bigger, better things. I understand I have no place in your life now._

_With this in mind, I want to propose a truce. I think it would be a shame if you and I weren't at least friends, considering we made sure good ones before the war._

_I'm sorry that I hurt you Hermione. I'm just glad you see it was for the best. Now you can live your life the way you want to. My biggest regret in life is hurting you so much you had to scar yourself to remember. I don't expect I'll ever heal, and I'm glad you finally realized I'm not what's best for you._

_I wish I was sad to see you go, but I'm not. 'Cause I know you will be infinitely more happy without me. _

_Love, _

_Gin_

Ginny rolled the parchment up; not letting herself reread what she had just written. She walked over to the small cage the held her owl, Cuddles, in it and tied it to his leg.

"I know it's raining cats and dogs out there, but I need you to take this to Hermione before I want to take it back." She said hurriedly to the grey and black owl. He hooted in understanding and flew out the window the second Ginny opened it for him. Watching her owl fly off into the moonless sky Ginny found herself regretting everything she had done in the last four months, tenfold.

She crawled back into bed, hoping sleep might come to her. After fifteen minutes of staring off into space, Ginny heard a soft beeping alone with a vibration coming from her desk drawer. Knowing the sound was most likely coming from the cell phone Hermione had given to her one playoff season, she crawled out and stumbled her way to the drawer. Sure enough when she opened the drawer, light came out and she could see on the screen the words, "**Text Message Alert: Herm" **across it.

Ginny flipped the phone open and pressed the middle button allowing her to read it. When she read the words, "I take it back." She felt her heart skip a beat.

'She can't still love me. She just can't…' Ginny thought to herself, gazing unbelievably at the bright device in her hands.

"No… I'm not going to respond. No." Ginny spoke to herself, feeling more confused by the second. When the phone beeped again and vibrated in her hand she almost dropped in back in the drawer. Cautiously she pushed the same button as before and read the words, "Lunch Tuesday? Just as friends?"

Against her better judgment, Ginny pressed the respond button and typed "3 broomsticks, 2pm". Before she could come back to her senses, Ginny pressed the send button a few times, just to make sure she couldn't "unsend" it. She still wasn't privy on how to use a cell phone, only knowing how to dial Hermione's number and type sentences into the dialog box.

She put the phone back in its drawer, closed it and walked back to her bed. Tuesday was only 2 days away.

'What did I just agree to? How am I supposed to get over her, the fucking Minister of my fucking magical mind, in two days?' she thought anxiously to herself.

Closing her eyes, Ginny let herself fall into a drug-induced sleep.

Hermione had just gotten out of the shower when Cuddles arrived, tapping furiously at her window.

"Cuddles! What in God's name are you doing out there?" Hermione yelled, opening the window to let him in. Cuddles hooted proudly, holding out the tiny roll of paper on his leg.

"You are so brave, Cuddles. Go get warm by the fire, you can sleep here tonight." Hermione said with a smile. The owl hooted his appreciation and flew out of her bedroom. When Hermione read the letter Ginny had sent to her, she couldn't stop herself from tearing up. Ginny really did love her, even if she was unable to love herself. Touched by Ginny's intentions, she knew she had to take back what she had said when she was mad. Seeing Ginny with those drugs shouldn't have surprised her. Something told her a long time ago that Ginny had been taking drugs to keep her rage at bay. Not being able to deal with it, Hermione ignored her feelings and had never truly been confirmed of her theory until 15 minutes earlier. Ginny was dying inside right before her, and although her first responsibility was to the Wizarding people of the UK, she knew she was wrong to have given up on Ginny.

Grabbing her cell phone out of her purse, she sent Ginny a text message, hoping the redhead understood behind the words. After a minute of arguing with herself she typed out the words, "Lunch Tuesday?" hoping Ginny wouldn't regret her offer. Just before she sent it, Hermione added "Just as friends?" to the end of the text and sent it, confident Ginny wouldn't turn her down.

When she got the text back saying Ginny would meet her at two, she actually giggled like a school girl.

"Breathe for love tomorrow, 'cause maybe there's another way. Ginny, you're my only way, and I'll never lose sight of that again. I promise." Hermione spoke softly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is not mine. If the magificent Jo wants to sue me, well. I wouldn't mind simply cause I'd get to see her!

Same goes for Paramore. Not them, never gonna be no matter how hard I dream.

Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Crushcrushcrush

Ginny sat in the back of the Three Broomsticks sipping a pint of butter beer. It was Tuesday already and the watch she wore on her left wrist said it was 1:57.

"Only a few more minutes. God this is going to suck so fucking bad." She mused. Ginny took another sip of the sweet malted liquid and anxiously cast a look at the front door. Sure enough, as soon as her watch beeped signaling the turn of the hour, Hermione had walked through. Once Ginny had caught the brunette's eye she signaled for the waitress to come pick up the money on the table. Grabbing her leather jacket off the back of her chair, Ginny cast a look that clearly said "Follow me" and strut her way to the bathroom.

Only ten seconds later, Ginny could feel Hermione's presence behind her.

"Gin, what's going on?" Hermione whispered. Ginny spun around and clamped her palm on the other girl's mouth.

"There are more reporters out there than I've ever seen before. We are not having lunch here." Ginny said seriously, removing her hand from Hermione's mouth slowly. Hermione nodded her understanding and grabbed onto Ginny's arm ready to along-side apparate.

Hermione felt her body turn inside out and back again. Along-side always made her feel ten times queasier than regular apparation.

"You okay?" Ginny asked, holding the girl up in front of her.

"Yeah… I just can't get used to that particular sensation." Hermione said breathlessly, still clinging to Ginny's muscular arms.

They stood in an alley, only narrow enough for one person the walk through at a time.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked, looking down the alley. The stone walls spread one way, getting wider and intersecting with a busier street, the other way getting even narrower, ending at narrow door you couldn't even see unless you looked hard for a few seconds.

"Are we going in there? Hermione asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm not going to risk getting spied on by Rita Skeeter. Come on, it's safe, I promise." Ginny said. Hermione took the hand Ginny presented to her, sighing when the contact made both women blush. Ginny led her to the door and opened it for her.

"Harry told me 'bout this place a couple months after the war ended. Said it was a good spot to get away from all the cameras, 'cause no one really knew about it. Been here a couple times and it's served its purpose well enough. The wizard who owns it hates publicity, that's why it's so hard to find." Ginny explained as they stepped into the pub.

When Ginny opened the door, Hermione was expecting to see a bar resembling the hogs head, or perhaps worse, but she was too quick to judge. The lighting was mellow; there were a good amount of tables and booths. Ginny placed her hand on the small of Hermione's back instinctively, guiding her to a table near the bar and far away from the only other person in sight.

"Hey Teddy!" Ginny called to behind the well kept bar. "I'm gonna grab some drinks and menus, alright?"

"Sure!" Hermione heard from the direction Ginny was just yelling to.

Ginny walked behind the bar, pouring herself a tonic water with a lime.

"What do you want to drink, Herm?" Ginny called to her. Hermione looked back over her left shoulder, taking in the redhead as she reached up to get another glass, her shirt riding up just enough the expose the taunt muscle under her creamy skin.

"I'll take some of that…" Hermione said quietly. Hermione watched as Ginny turned beat red at her comment and the hungry stare she wore.

"But with a lemon instead of a lime." Hermione finished with a smile and turned back around in her seat, proud of herself. If Ginny didn't already feel uncomfortable from the comment, she sure did now, knowing she might have taken it the wrong way. The redhead poured the witch another tonic and squeezed a lemon slice in hers. Grabbing two menus, Ginny attempted to balance them on her head, almost making it all the way to the table. But when Ginny bent over to place the drinks in front of Hermione, the menus came crashing down to the floor.

"Fail." Hermione stated playfully, trying to keep herself from laughing too loud.

"Alright, let's see you try that next time! I bet you would have dropped them back at the bar!" Ginny bated.

"I would never attempt something so foolish Gin, I would have just tucked them under my arm pit." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Ew… stanky…" Ginny said laughing.

"I am not!" Hermione shouted in disbelief of the giggling woman in front of her.

"I really don't! I mean, do I really smell?" Hermione asked, taking a whiff of her under arms, searching for the answer, which has Ginny practically crying from laughter.

"God I've missed you…" Ginny spoke softly, a smile still plastered on her face from the previous hysteria.

"I've missed you too, Ginny." Hermione said with a lopsided grin. Ginny tucked a piece of her long side-bangs back behind her ear, suddenly self conscious and nervous.

"Ah… the food here is pretty good. How long before you have to be back at the office?" Ginny asked, hoping to make a bit more conversation and less googly eyes.

"The best thing about not having a boss is I really don't have to be there. I can go in when I want, eat when I want, leave when I want. Just as long as everything I have to do gets done. Hell, if I feel like working at home one day, it's perfectly acceptable. But the work load, it's nothing like I have ever imagined I could handle. I literally have responsibilities in every single department. And even the creation of new departments! I have no idea how Kinsley managed to do it with such graces. And no idea how Fudge managed to do it at all." Hermione said.

Ginny couldn't help but laugh at their former Minister.

"He really was a cod fish. And defiantly not the brightest at that." Ginny said jokingly.

"You have never been more right. I would imagine that man had more people doing things for him than any other in history. So what are you going to get?" Hermione asked, glancing down at the small menu in her hands.

"I've been craving this sandwich he makes called the Double-Meat Wonder. He won't tell me what's on it, and I think it's magically made to look like something it's not. It tastes amazing." Ginny said with a smile.

"I'm defiantly feeling something a little less confusing right now…" Hermione chuckled.

"Then I would recommend the Bangers and Mash. It's like England on a plate." Ginny said with a smile.

"So, you ladies know whatcha getting?" Ted asked, walking his way out from behind the bar.

"Yes, I'm, gonna get your Double-Meat Wonder and Hermione will get…" Ginny signaled Hermione to place her order.

"Wait! Aren't you the Minister of Magic?" Ted asked excitedly. "I seen you in the Daily Profit almost every month since You Know Who was killed. You're the youngest person in history to become Minister!"

Hermione blushed profusely, eyeing Ginny sternly. This was not at all what she wanted to happen during their lunch.

"Yes, um, Ted. That's very nice. I would like the Ruben please." She said handing him her menu with a small smile.

"Yes anything for you Minister, anything you want is on the house!" Ted said excitedly.

"God, I can't even go anywhere without this shit happening to me! I haven't paid for a meal in weeks…" Hermione said, clearly put off by Ted's actions.

"It's like, everywhere I go, eyes are always glued to me! It makes absolutely no sense at all…" Hermione spoke depressingly.

"I noticed the articles in all the papers supposedly interviewing you, never actually sound like you. Like they have been edited to sound less Hermione like, and more um… uneducated?" Ginny said carefully.

"God! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who picked up on that! It feels as though they are trying to make me sound stupid or something… and it's really pissing me off." Hermione growled.

"Well why don't you tell them that? Hold a press conference in front of everyone so that they can see the real you, hear your ideas. Shove your extremely complex vocabulary down their throats! That will make it hard for the public to believe their tricks and lies." Ginny said, proud of herself. She hadn't even realized it, so captivated by her own words, but she was now holding Hermione's hand. She looked down and the delicate hand softly caressing the top of her callused one and pulled back slowly, determined not to let their lunch as friends get too personal.

"You are so passionate about the things you love, it's very much the reason I fell in love with you all those years ago…" Hermione said softly, smiling when Ginny's blush crept up her neck.

"You know I use to get really lonely in my apartment, never anyone to talk to. But now-a-days I feel like it's my sanctuary. Being alone has never felt so good. I still have no idea how Kinsley took all the publicity."

"Well he didn't have nearly as much as you, love." Ginny said softly, blushing a shade darker at the pet name she called Hermione by habit.

"Sorry… um. But yea, you are the youngest witch or wizard to become Minister, AND you are the smartest, AND you are without a doubt the most Beautiful. Not to mention you played the second biggest part in defeating Lord Voldyballs," Hermione couldn't hold back her laughter at Ginny's favorite nick name for the Dark Lord. "AND you were practically engaged to the most popular Quidditch star on the planet." Ginny said, taking on the voice of her publicist, Randy. "You practically singlehandedly wrote every bit of legislation regarding the "House Elf Rights Act" and if it wasn't for you mediating the war between those Centaurs, the whole race might have killed each other! You're already a legend and you are only twenty two!" Ginny said excitedly.

Hermione blushed from Ginny's kind but true words. When she took the job, it was because she needed something to throw herself into. Something to show the world that she had more to give, more good to accomplish. Her reasons still stood, but the media was making it really difficult to see the big picture.

"You are going to be the most successful Minister the UK has ever seen. You know?" Ginny asked, looking into Hermione's eyes.

"Gin, we are friends, right?" Hermione asked, playing with the hem of her white button down blouse.

"Of course we are, love." Ginny said, blushing once more, and reminding herself that she needed to kick that habit.

"So that's what this is… a friendship?" Hermione continued to probe.

"What else could it be?" Ginny stated more than asked.

"Let's be more." Hermione said sternly, looking deep into the green eyes before her.

"More that what, Herm?" Ginny asked shockingly. Not ready for where this might be going.

"More than this, Gin." Hermione said reaching for her hand. Just then there came a crash from behind the bar.

"Here you go Minister! Ginny. is there absolutely anything I get you?" Ted asked excitedly placing a very large Ruben in front of Hermione and a funny looking sandwich near Ginny.

"Thank you Ted, this looks delicious." Hermione said with a smile, not letting go of Ginny's eyes.

Ted left again with a large smile on his face, saying he needed to tend to his other customer.

"And I thought he'd never leave…" Hermione said chuckling.

"I was about to hex the man. I love Ted dearly, but he really needs to stop undressing you with his eyes." Ginny said dangerously, eye balling the men taking an empty plate away from the other only other person in the bar.

"Hey… let him. You're the only set of eyes that has or will ever see me undressed. Just remember that." Hermione said with a smile, making Ginny blush madly at the thoughts running through her head.

"Um… go ahead, Herm. Take a bite and let me know how you like it." Ginny said nervously. Today was going pretty well. Too well, in Ginny's opinion.

"You know Ginny," Hermione said wiping some juice from the sandwich off her mouth with a napkin. "I got another tattoo…" Hermione finished.

Ginny nearly choked on her sandwich.

"Um… really? That's very cool. When did you get so interested in body art?" she asked nervously.

"I think their addictive. I'm already planning my next one. You want to see this one? I can't show it to you here, but maybe after lunch we could…"

"Get some coffee? Yes, I'd love that." Ginny said hurriedly, stuffing some more wonder meat into her mouth.

"No, I was going to say go back to my-"

"I have practice in an hour and I'm gonna have to tape myself up and everything. Why don't you just describe it to me?" Ginny pleaded, hoping Hermione was getting the hint.

"Um… okay. Well its script, in my hand writing. It's the color red, very, very close to the color of your hair, color of your blush. It says, 'I'd rather waste my life pretending, then have to forget you for one whole minute.' It's on the side of my-"

"That's great, Herm." Ginny interjected a bit louder than necessary.

Hermione smiled to herself, seeing she got the desired reaction from her.

"How is your, um… wonder meat?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **Rah rah, ah ah ah. Roma, ro-ma-ma. Gaga, ooh-la-la. I'm not J.K. Rowling. Or Lady Gaga for that matter?

I'm making special brownies! No, not that special. The secret ingredient is love. 3

Chapter 14: Love's Not a Competition, But I'm Winning

"It's wonderful, thank you for asking." Ginny said softly, still recovering from the image of Hermione's bare body, burned into the back of her head.

'I won't be the one to disappoint you anymore.' Ginny thought to herself. 'I know you deserve better than me, and you'll get it now, but you still deserve better from me.'

Ginny knew she would never get over Hermione. She also knew it would take some time for Hermione to let go of her. She had told the brunette countless times within the last four months that this was how it should be. The trick was getting Hermione to think it was actually her idea to be friends. Everything was going according to plan; she just had to keep Hermione on the right track. And she desperately needed to stop letting herself get carried away in her warm brown eyes.

'Those things are so dangerous… I could stare into them and get lost for hours if I let myself.' Ginny thought, shaking her head to clear away her longing desire to reach her foot out just a few inches, to where Hermione had strategically placed hers.

'God, she isn't listening to a word I say. I bet she is picturing me naked. Great, now I'm picturing her naked. Maybe if I move my foot just a smidge closer it will brush hers…' Hermione thought dangerously. 'Hmm… by the looks of that blush, she defiantly felt that. Oh, I'm so winning this competition.' Hermione thought triumphantly.

'Did she do that on purpose? Oh God, I'm blushing again. Curse this fair skin!' Ginny panicked.

"Um, so how much did you make off the Gala? There were quite a few more people there than last year, am I correct?" Hermione asked, taking her last bite of the sandwich.

"Um, yes." Ginny cleared her throat. "We raised over five thousand galleons just on the booze alone!"

"We?" Hermione asked, fighting back a smile.

"Ah, I mean... I did. I guess…" Ginny said, embarrassed.

'Yes, love's not a competition, but I'm winning.' Hermione thought to herself, not even fighting to hold back the smirk she felt on her face.

"How many brooms are you going to give out this year?" Hermione asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"Um, there is enough for twelve this year, which is the most I think we've… I've ever given. I was wondering if maybe you could go with me to their houses, seeing as you're the Minister and all that. I bet their parents would love a chance to meet you…" Ginny said hiding behind what was left of her wonder meat.

"I would absolutely love to. I've gone every year so far, and I don't see any reason I shouldn't go this time too. What day are you doing it?" Hermione asked.

"I was thinking right before the Championship match. Which will be in seventeen days I think." Ginny stated.

"You are that sure you will make it all the way through the play-offs?" Hermione asked humorously.

"Absolutely. Quidditch is all I have left. We will win that match if I have to score every single goal myself AND catch the bloody snitch." Ginny said matter-of-factly.

"It's not all you have, Gin. You have your family, and you have me…" Hermione said careful, making sure she put as much meaning behind "me" as possible.

"You are a great friend Hermione-"

"You never answered my question by the way." Hermione said, looking the redhead dead in the eye.

"You never actually asked one."

"But there was a question implied, Ginevra." Hermione said defiantly.

"I've got to go Herm, the girls are probably all warming up already. Big match tomorrow, you know…" Ginny said nervously fishing out a few sickles and a galleon from her jacket pocket.

"No! I'll get it, love. You go play your quidditch." Hermione said with a smile, opening her purse to take some money out.

Ginny couldn't help but see a pack of Mayfair Menthols in her purse and realized that they were most likely the reason Hermione smelled a bit different than usual.

"Hey, mind if I bum a fag off you?" Ginny asked.

Hermione turned bright red at the realization that Ginny now knew she smoked, something she always harassed Ginny about when they were younger.

"Ah, yeah… here…" her hands fumbled with the package, and handed a thin white cigarette to the girl of her affections.

"Thanks." Ginny mumbled, cigarette between her lips as she lit the tip with her "Lesbian Pride" lighter.

"That thing is so tacky." Hermione said laughing at the lighter George had given the redhead a couple years back. It read, "My mother always said I could be anything I wanted to be. So I became a lesbian." in rainbow lettering.

"Yes, I suppose." Ginny said inhaling the sharp smoke.

"But it gets the job done." She continued, exhaling the thick stream of smoke.

"I'll see you soon?" Ginny asked taking another drag.

'Wow, she is so fucking sexy when she smokes. How did I not find this attractive before?' Hermione thought.

"Um, yeah. Your mum's having that party this weekend, and she said I was always invited no matter how messed up things were between us. Will I be seeing you there?" she asked the redhead nervously.

"I'm pretty sure if I didn't show up she would have my head." Ginny said grimly.

"Good!" Hermione said a bit too anxiously.

"See you there." Ginny said turning to walk out of the establishment.

"Wait!" Hermione yelled, grabbing her purse and catching up with the redhead.

"Herm, I really do have to-", Ginny started, but was soon spun around and captured in a strong embrace.

"Be safe tomorrow." Hermione whispered into Ginny's blushing ear.

"I'll try my best." Ginny said, her smile buried in the soft spiral curls she loved so much.

After what seemed like forever, Hermione let her arms fall from Ginny's shoulders to the outside of her arms. The two girls stood, Ginny's hands on Hermione's hips, only inches apart. Dark green met soft brown and before Ginny could stop it, Hermione's lips were pressed softly against her own.

'Merlin she feels so good…' Ginny thought.

Hermione pulled away slowly, letting the caste kiss they just shared sink in.

"I love you." Hermione said softly.

"I know." Ginny said defeated.

'Well, at least I thought I was winning…' Ginny thought depressingly.

She turned from Hermione and left the tavern.

"God, I am so winning." Hermione spoke triumphantly to herself. Not even the most unbearable goblin could wipe the smile she felt plastered on her face.

Hermione was not new to this game; she had gotten through to Ginny four years back and would do so again if it killed her.

"Thanks Ted" Hermione yelled loudly and walked out of the tavern before the man could respond or refuse her money.

The humid spring air hit her face and she pulled a cigarette out of the box in her purse, lighting it silently with the tip of her wand. She breathed in the minty heat and held it inside her for a moment, letting the smoke fill her up. She had originally started smoking to calm herself a after Ginny's scandalous press conference with Fleur. She now found herself smoking just for enjoyment. She liked the taste of the smoke in her mouth, the burn in her lungs and the buzz that filled her brain after a few drags. It also reminded her of Ginny, smelled a bit like her, even tasted like her.

Hermione let the smoke out of her lungs slowly, letting the action physically calm her body.

"Only three more days till you see her again." She said out loud, walking down the narrow alley till she was far enough away from the door she could apparate back to the Ministry. She took one more power drag and put the cigarette out on the stone wall in front of her, noticing a stomped filter on the ground below her.

"Really? There is no need to litter." Hermione said laughing. She picked up the filter Ginny had thrown down and pocketed them both. Things were defiantly looking like they were going to go her way.

Hermione half stepped and found herself back at the Ministry.

"Good afternoon Minister!" she could hear coming from every angle. Nodding her head in response she quickly made for the lifts.

"Only four more years of this bullocks…"


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** 'Ello, 'Arry! anyone else love Potter Puppet Pals?

I'm. Not. A Goddess.

Okay so it's a short one, but i'm feeling the creative juices today so expect some more good stuff to be laid down in the next 12 hours.

As, always thank you for all your kind words, they are like crack for my fingers. Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Playing God

Ginny entered the locker rooms and headed to her trunk. She knew she was a few minutes late but this wasn't the first time and would most likely not be the last.

"Hey, Ginny! Get your sodden arse out on that pitch right now! I don't give the back end of horses arse if your bloody naked, get out there or you're not playing tomorrow!" Gwenog Jones yelled, walking into the locker rooms. Ginny was standing in her shorts and a sports bra, robes in hand, waiting for her coach to walk in and tell her off for being half an hour late.

"Gwen, I'll be out there in a couple minutes. I need to tape up first." Ginny said stoically.

"All the girls are out there, Gin! They are waiting for their Captain! Get your bloody head in the game or we are going to lose tomorrow!" Gwenog shouted, throwing a roll of tape that hit Ginny right in the gut.

"Oh come on Gwen, you know I would never let that happen. I have got this one in the bag." Ginny said, mindlessly taping up her left knee.

"Perhaps YOU have this in the bag, but your teammates certainly do not. Wouldn't it feel like hell if you never got to the Championship because you had to sit out on one of the games?" Gwenog stated dangerously.

"You wouldn't." Ginny responded, ripping off a piece of tape threateningly. If she went through with that threat, Ginny would be losing control over every aspect of her life. She couldn't make any of her own decisions anymore between Hermione pushing past their friendship, and now Gwenog keeping her from playing.

"This is the third time you have been late Ginny! What kind of leader are you?" the coach asked.

"The kind that wins every single game!" Ginny yelled.

"No, gin. That's what kind of player you are. Not captain."

"Well than fucking tie me up, Gwen. Tie me to the goal posts after practice and leave me there till the game. Maybe then I could be the perfect little leader!" Ginny yelled furiously.

"Ginny it isn't just being late anymore. You have become so reckless! Half the time you injure the girls out there pulling your crazy one man plays. Just because they come up with a goal, doesn't mean they help us at all. And not even just being reckless on the pitch, Marina told me she saw you taking drugs after the game Sunday! How is that okay Ginny?" Gwenog asked wildly.

"Marina saw me taking some aspirin for the headache I had." Ginny said dismissively.

"Oh really, so if I were to drug test you, would you come up clean?" her question was met by a harsh stare. "You have changed so much, you should be getting older and wiser, but instead you are just become more stupid. I cannot have such a terrible example of a human being representing the Harpies. And I sure as hell won't let you influence these girls." Gwen said defiantly.

"Then what do you want me to do, Gwen? Come on; cram your wisdom down my throat. 'Cause we all know you aren't the best example of a put together person now don't we?" Ginny asked dangerously.

It was true; Gwenog had her own set of demons she had been hiding for a few years. After a couple weeks in Ginny's first year on the team, she came to find out the only reason she was scouted by the Harpies was because their Captain at the time bribed her coach with money, securing her a spot on the team. Ginny got her big break because the captain of the Harpies wanted nothing more than to shag the redhead senseless. That captain was one Gwenog Jones.

"If I can recall, I believe you shoved me up against a locker after my first match. Then preceded to snog me senseless, ripping the front of my jersey while I repeatedly said "No." Do you remember that incident, Gweny?" Ginny said with a scowl.

"That was three years ago, Ginny. I haven't gone near you since." Gwenog said in a harsh whisper. The fear was evident in her face and the shaking finger pointed in Ginny's direction.

"Three years or not, I was with Hermione at the time. And remember I told you I wouldn't tell her as long as you never did that again? Well she is the Minister of Magic now, and I bet if I told her, she would have your arse fried in seconds." Ginny said with a hint of a smile. She had already told Hermione about the incident, and knew the girl wouldn't fire Gwenog from it. But the threat, however empty, still sounded dangerous.

"You have a week to clean up your act Ginny. This is your one and only chance." Gwen said throwing her a look that said she meant it.

"Great! Now next time you want to point a finger, just point it to the mirror." Ginny said, finishing the last touches on the tape for her left hand. She grabbed her quidditch robes and through them over her head, fully aware that her coach was still staring at her in disbelief.

"You know Ginny; if God is the game you're playing, we should really become more acquainted." Gwenog said in a somewhat seductive voice. She took a step closer to the girl pushing her arms through the sleeves of her robes.

"Because it just has to be so lonely, being the only one who's holy." She continued, running her finger along the side of Ginny's jaw.

Ginny scowled at the woman, holding her intense gaze.

"My father always told me, that you don't deserve a point of view, if the only one you see is you. Think about it." She said softly. Gwen withdrew her hand and spun around quickly.

"Get your arse out there, Gin." She yelled over her shoulder as she walked out of the locker room.

Ginny grabbed her broom and mounted it. Taking off low to the ground, she sped out of the locker room and into the blinding sun. Her teammates all clapping and cheering at her arrival, she called to them to all huddle up.

'This is my last second chance.' Ginny thought regrettably.

"Okay girls, we are in the playoffs, that means right now, we are only half as good as it gets. We need to really pull together out there and play our best. That means Beaters; you can't let a single bludger come near our seeker, or anyone of us for that matter. Seeker, defensive seeking. Make sure we have enough points on the board to win. Chasers, we all know our team is ranked first this year in goal scoring-"

"That's because we have you, Gin." One of the other Chasers cut her off.

"You all are every bit as good as me. This next game you're going to show the world that too."

"I'll hold you to that, Ginny." One of the other Chasers said with a smile, turning to high five one of the backups.

"You better. Now let's get out there and practice hard, it's all about intensity!" Ginny yelled as all the girls went flying in different directions.

Ginny cast a look over to her coach flying around the quidditch pitch. They locked eyes.

'I'll point you to the mirror.' Ginny thought menacingly. She wasn't going to let Gwenog get in her way of winning the Championship. She wasn't going to let herself get in the way either.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** *Ring* *Ring*

"Hello?"

"_Ah, hello. This is Merlin speaking." _

"Merlin's beard, is it really!"

"_Um… yes."_

"Well alright, what can I do you for?"

"_I am just calling you to let you know you are in fact not J.K. Rowling." _

"I'm not? Bummer…"

"_Nor are you the creator of the band Paramore."_

"Are you sure?"

"_Positive. Oh! And you are not shagging their lead singer either." _

"Oh buddy you are so wrong thei-"

"_That was a dream_."

"…"

"…"

"Damn it…"

Chapter 16: Decode

Hermione felt like her world was on fire for the first time in months. Sitting down at her desk she took a look at the very large planner opened up to Wednesday.

"Interview for the new position heading the Department of Magical Law Enforcement… press conference at 12… lunch with Minerva at three… than guest speaker at Hogwarts around six. That's not such a bad day." Hermione thought out loud. Closing her planner Hermione cleared away all the clutter from her desk.

The brunette cast a look at the portrait of Fudge on the wall and asked, "Would you please let Carol know I am ready to see her?"

The man gave her a look that clearly stated how much he would rather not, but grudgingly left the frame. Sure enough there was a knock at the door only a few seconds later.

"Minister Fudge's portrait said you were ready to see me, Minister?" said a soft voice. Hermione always admired how soft spoken Carol was, and found it absolutely exciting how that all of her persona went out the window when she argued in court.

"Yes, Carol. Please have a seat." Hermione gestured to the chair in front of her. She took a long look at her former colleague, noting haw she always maintained herself professionally. Her bright blond hair was tucked in a loose bun at the base of her skull. She wore a white collared shirt with a grey tie and tucked it into the grey pressed trousers she held up with a solid black belt. Along with the outfit she wore two inch black pumps that gave her long legs and even nicer length. Carol was a beautiful woman with many great qualities, and she was sure from day one she could handle Hermione's old position.

"I have been reviewing your resume over the last couple weeks, and have decided I feel you are best suited to head up your department." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Carol asked, blushing under the Ministers intense gaze.

"Am I the only person you considered?"

"You were one out of many. But honestly, I felt you would be perfect for the job ever since that fiasco with the giants last year. You handle well under pressure, you are extremely professional, you may be the only one who loves your job the way I did and on top of it all I respect you greatly. It would be foolish of me to appoint someone to this position that I didn't trust with my life." Hermione said with a small smile.

"Minister… I don't know what to say!" Carol said embarrassed at all the praise she was receiving from her people's leader.

"I need you on my team if I'm going to go forth with my plans to better our world. I need you as one of my main Generals, Carol." Hermione said strongly.

"Well, when you put it like that, I would be honored, Minister Granger." Carol said with a smile. The two women looked at each other and stood from their respective seats.

"Thank you, Carol." Hermione said walking around her desk. The blonde reached out her hand to shake Hermione's but the brunette quickly pushed it aside and hugged the girl.

"So many would shy away from this opportunity, but you understand how hard it will be and remain by my side none-the-less. Thank you." Hermione said softly, pulling away from the friendly embrace.

* * *

"You ready, Gwen?" Ginny called to the woman sorting through loads of paper work. The two of them were currently standing in her office, Ginny impatiently waiting to floo out of it.

"One second, I can't seem to find the roaster for Slytherin…" Gwenog said frustrated.

"We aren't letting any of that lot on our team anyways, so forget about it. I wanna make it to the school with enough time to interview the girls on the Gryffindor team. Did you know it's the first time in history Hogwarts has seen an all female team? Well I wouldn't really consider one of their beaters much of a female… she looks more like troll if you ask me." Ginny said, running her hands through the black powder beside the fire place.

"Please leave your Gryffindor pride and Slytherin vendetta here, in my office. We will treat all the girls on the Slytherin team just the same as the others. You hear me?" Gwenog said dangerously.

"Yeah, yeah… whatever you say boss. Now let's go!" Ginny whined impatiently.

"Please, don't wait on my account. I'll catch up with you on the pitch around four, okay? That should give you an hour or so to chat up as many pretty girls as you like." Gwenog said with a smirk.

"You repulse me. We aren't all cradle robbers like you were. See you there." Ginny said disgustedly. She through the handful of black powder she was playing with before into the fire place and shouted "Hogwarts!" as soon as she entered the green flames.

Having been transported into the headmistress's office, she was not surprised to see the woman herself sitting in her very large chair sipping tea.

"Professor!" she called to the woman.

"Oh, Miss Weasley! Please do call me Minerva. How many times have I asked you?"

"About as many times as I've begged you to call me Ginny." The redhead answered with a smile.

"It is so good to see you. We didn't get much of a chance to talk at the Gala. Please, join us for some lunch." Minerva said, gesturing to the closer of the two large comfy chairs sitting in front of her desk.

"Perhaps just some tea, I know the match starts in an hour, and I should get some of the interviewing done before hand. Gwenog will be here shortly." She said, politely taking the seat offered to her. She turned her head to the left, curious as to who may be having lunch with the Headmistress. Her eyes met the warm brown ones she dreamt about every night, and she smiled by reflex.

"Good afternoon, Minister." Ginny said politely, giving Hermione a small smile.

"Big game today, love?" Hermione asked, receiving a small nod and a fiery blush.

"What brings you to Hogwarts?" Ginny asked out of curiosity.

Minerva smiled, watching the two exchange pleasantries as though they weren't madly in love with one another.

"I'm giving a lecture in the great hall after the match. I would like some feedback from the witches and wizards this plan will be affecting most." She said calmly, refusing to let go of Ginny's gaze.

"So is it really going to happen, then? That's incredible, Herm!" Ginny said excitedly.

Flames rose out from the fire place once more, seconds later a very disgruntled Gwenog emerged.

"Minerva, I need another list of the Slytherin players. I seem to have lost mine…" she said, slightly out of breath.

"That won't be a problem. I'll speak with Severus before the game." The witch said kindly.

"Great! Ginny, we got to go. Say goodbye to your friend there."

Hermione cleared her throat loudly. She had never likes Gwenog, even before she had physically thrown herself at Ginny years ago.

"It's good to see you too, Gwenog." Hermione said standing up.

"Oh, Minister Granger. Forgive me I didn't realize it was you." Gwenog said hurriedly. Everyone in the room could tell her words were completely insincere.

"I apologize for my coach's short comings, love." Ginny said to Hermione. The two of them shared a laugh before Ginny excused herself to follow her coach.

* * *

"So what was all that about?" Gwenog asked once Ginny caught up with her.

"I'm trying to maintain a friendship with the woman I am so desperately in love with, her presence makes breathing difficult. And on top of it she keeps trying to push the boundaries with me. How can I decide what's right for her, if she's always clouding up my mind? I just seems like I can't win. AND on top of that it's like I don't even own my own thoughts anymore. They all belong to her now 'cause that's all I have. My thoughts." Ginny said painfully.

"But I thought you just said that you only wanted her as a friend?" Gwenog asked; the confusion was evident in her voice.

"I want her to be happy. But I also want her. But I want the first one more, and I know I will never be good enough for her. I'm just too fucked up." Ginny stated pathetically.

"Well… who are you to say what's best for her? Don't you think that should be her decision?" the brunette asked.

"I don't even know anymore." Ginny sighed.

* * *

"So what's going on with you and Ginny?" Minerva asked Hermione.

"Honestly?" Hermione took a deep breath in and sighed.

"I have no clue exactly how we got to this point. I guess she felt I would be better off without her, so she slept with Fleur, Bill's ex-wife."

The older woman's jaw dropped.

"In my bed."

Minerva's eyes widened.

"And than proceeded to date her. All because she felt if she hurt me enough, I would stop loving her, and then she couldn't hurt me anymore. It doesn't make much sense to anyone but her. Trust me." Hermione said, pain evident in her voice.

"So I guess I have been trying to win her back. There really is more to it; I'm just not entirely sure how to verbalize it all. Sometimes I'll be thinking of her and just wonder how the hell we got to this point. I mean, I use to know her so well, and now, it's like she's this whole other person." Hermione tried to explain.

"I think I know. I learned something from one of Albus's many mistakes. See for a long time he didn't believe in the power of love as he did when you knew him. He was with a man for several years, and they were very happy together. But after a while, his partner, Grindelwald, became obsessed with finding the Deathly Hollows. When he finally found the legendary elder wand, Albus warned him against abusing its power. Soon the man became paranoid and obsessed. He let the magic take over the heart he once only gave to Albus. When Albus confronted him about, it he turned on his own lover and tried to kill him. Albus fought hard against Grindelwald and killed him in an attempt to save him from the madness within. He left the magical kingdom and didn't return for quite a few years. From this he learned that love was very hard to come by and even harder to maintain. Ginny is afraid she will become corrupt like Grindelwald and hurt you." Minerva said sadly.

"I don't care. It's worth the risk, she has to know that! She has to realize it isn't her place to decide who I should love!" Hermione said furiously.

"She will realize that in time. Now, let's get out to that match. Gryffindor has an all female team this year and they are a bunch of firecrackers on a broom!" Minerva said excitedly.

Ginny took her seat in the stands, joining all the professors and other scouts also looking for new talent.

"Should be a good game, don't you think?" Gwenog asked excitedly. She took a seat on the right of Ginny and whipped out her rosters and a quill.

"Yea, defiantly." Ginny said absentmindedly. She was still pondering the words Gwenog had spoken to her on her way there. 'Who are you to say what's best for her?' she repeated to herself.

"Hey, Gin. Mind if I sit with you?" said a familiar voice.

"Yeah, yeah! Of course!" Ginny said anxiously, shaking the thoughts previously occupying her mind away.

The brunette took a seat slightly closer than Ginny was anticipating, making the redhead gasp in surprise when she felt Hermione's leg, hip, and side pressed up against her.

"Should be a good match. I hear the whole Gryffindor team fly like tiny little Ginny's on a broom." Hermione said laughing.

"Good afternoon, Minister." A deep voice said from behind them. Hermione whipped her head around to see Professor Snape sitting before her, hands clasped over his lap.

"A good afternoon to you too, Severus." Hermione said with a small smile.

Hermione stood up from her seat and cast a silent "sonorous" at her neck.

"Hello everyone! It is my pleasure to be here with you all for the last match of the year! Please let's give a roaring applause for the two teams competing for the house quidditch cup, Slytherin and Gryffindor!" she said excitedly. The entire stadium exploded with noise as the two teams walked out onto the pitch.

Hermione sat back down, making sure to leave as little room between her and the redhead as possible.

"You look incredible by the way." Hermione whispered into Ginny's ear.

Ginny looked down and saw nothing out of the ordinary. She wore the same old well-worn pair of Levi's, beaten up chucks and a Harpies t-shirt that seemed two sizes too small.

'Um… thanks…" Ginny said looking into Hermione's eyes.

'The truth is hiding in your eyes Ginny. You look at me with so much love, it's a pity you don't love yourself that way.' Hermione almost thought out loud.

'You think that I can't see the kind of woman you are, you don't even consider yourself a whole person and you are afraid that won't be good enough for me.' Her thoughts continued. She promised herself she would figure out how to get past Ginny's warped logic.

"**AND THEIR OFF! Gryffindor's got the qwaffle! She fly's left, spins, passes it to Smith, Smith brings it up the center, back to Lewis, dives down, jukes right, throws it and… SCORES! Gryffindor, ten points!"**

"They look pretty good up there!" Gwenog said excitedly.

"Yeah, looks like this might be a pretty good game!" Ginny said with a smile.

"**Slytherin has got the qwaffle! Bone takes it low, OH! JUST MISSED THE BLUDGER BY AN INCH! Passes it to Rogers, Rogers doesn't seem to want to give it up. Oh! He's going for the shot… Gryffindor just misses it! Slytherin gets ten points and we are all tied up! Wait, what? Really? Sorry folks, it seems that the beautiful Gryffindor seeker, whom I have been dating now for an entire week, has caught the snitch! That has got to be a record, babe! Ouch! Sorry professor… GRYFFINDOR WINS THE HOUSE CHAMPIONSHIP!"** the young announcer sang out loudly.

"Really? That's all we get to see?" Gwenog yelled angrily along with most of the other scouts in the stands.

"Well, that was pretty lame." Ginny said disappointed. She looked over to Hermione and saw the girl staring at her in a daze.

"Hermione? Did you even see any of that?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

Hermione looked down at their hands. It seemed as though somehow during the very short match, their hands joined, fingers laced together. How Ginny hadn't noticed was beyond her.

"I don't have much to do until six, which is something I don't get to say often. Fancy a walk around the grounds?" Hermione asked, rubbing her thumb along the outside of Ginny's now trembling hand.

"Um… I can't Hermione… I'm sorry. It's just since we didn't get to see much, we have to ask the teams to play a scrimmage match once everyone has cleared out, so we can get a sense of what they are all capable of. I am sorry, Herm…" Ginny said still not letting go of Hermione's hand.

"That's ok. I'll see you in a couple days, right?"

"Yeah! The party." Ginny answered with a tentative smile.

Hermione brought their joined hands to her lips and kissed Ginny's fourth knuckle, right where Ginny would put her wedding ring if she were to ever become married.

"Bye, love." Hermione said as she dropped Ginny's hand. The redhead watched Hermione walk down the steps and all the way into the castle before she looked down at the spot Hermione's lips previously occupied.

"I'm screaming I love you so." Hermione said to herself once she entered the castle, Ginny's gaze no longer on her.

"My thoughts you can't decode." Ginny's said to herself softly.

"What did you just say?" Gwenog said capturing Ginny's attention.

"Oh, um… that was a lousy match." Ginny said unconvincingly.

"Well that's not what I heard. And, it looks like she can read you better then a book. From my understanding that's a pretty big deal." She said suddenly amused.

"Come on, we have got work to do." Gwenog said standing up. Ginny followed her down to the middle of the pitch.

"Ouch!" Ginny suddenly hissed, clutching her hand.

"What's wrong, Gin?" Gwenog asked hurriedly.

"My knuckle, it fucking burns!" Ginny said franticly.

"Well come here then, let me see it." The coach said with concern.

When they both looked down and saw the black script circling her finger they shot each other questioning looks.

"I didn't know you had a tattoo…" Gwenog said, slightly offended.

"Neither did I…" Ginny said, completely confused.

"Well, what does it say?" the coach pressed on.

"Um…" Ginny took a good look at the incredibly small script, examining every angle surrounding the digit.

"It looks like a wedding ring almost." Gwenog stated.

"Yeah, well I think it says "_There is something I see in you, it might kill me but I want it to be true."_

"Well. I think Hermione just gave you her answer, Gin. She doesn't care how fucked up you may be." Gwenog said with a chuckle.

"Merlin, I have so much to think about." Ginny said scared out of her mind.

"Well think about it later. We have girls to scout."

Ginny tried her best to pay attention to the players performing for them. But every time she touched her hand she was reminded of the black words that would now haunt her.

'I want it to be true too, Hermione. I'm just not sure I'm ready to take that chance.' Ginny said sorrowfully.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I'm a bloody wanker. No seriously, I really am!

This is for **R.R.** Happy birthday girl! Alone with this chapter you all get a slice of her birthday cake. Its red velvet with chocolate icing and happy rainbow sprinkles! If you are allergic to gay, give your piece to her and quit reading my story! :D

As always, **enjoy.**

Chapter 15: Emergency

It had been a while since the burrow had seen any action and with all the Weasley children grown up and moved out, Molly was dying for some company. Finally, she convinced herself that she didn't need a reason to through a big party, considering there were no birthdays coming up or weddings to be planned.

"Ginny! Can you please go set up the table outside, guests should be showing up any minute!" Molly called over her shoulder. The kitchen was in full swing, every pot, pan, bowl, and cooking utensil turning out wonderful smelling dishes. Molly wiped the sweat of her brow and took a look around.

"Okay, Harry's favorite, pork and beans… Hermione's favorite, lasagna... George's favorite bread pudding… Fred's favorite... oh God! I can't believe I did that…" Molly said, clutching her chest as she fought back against the tears racing to the surface.

"Molly?" she heard a voice call from outside the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can do to help? Oh, Merlin! Are you okay?" Hermione said rushing to the trembling woman. She took the smaller redhead in her arms and rocked her softly, letting her surrogate mother cry into her shoulder.

"Oh, Molly. It's all right." Hermione cooed softly. She discretely looked around in her attempt to find the reason the woman was crying. Her eyes found a fresh baked apple and rhubarb pie.

"I miss him too." She said softly, rubbing small circles on the top of her back.

"I just… can't… believe it… still!" Molly said in between hiccups.

"Me neither, Molly." Hermione said grimly. She gave the plump woman a small squeeze and pulled away.

"Oh, I better get back to work. So many people to feed today!" molly said excitedly, wiping the tears away from her face.

"Would you like any help?" Hermione asked carefully. She wasn't ready to leave Molly alone after that.

"Yes, yes my dear. Now go help Ginny set up outside. I'm not sure what's going on between you two, but she seems to be in a better mood than before. And she seems to have gotten a tattoo on her ring finger." Molly said with a sour expression. "She won't let me see it up close, but I have a feeling it has something to do with you." Molly said, concern written all over her face.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Molly. But I do think I should go help her out there. People will be arriving soon." Hermione said with a smirk. She didn't think the spell would last as long as it had.

"Damn I'm good." She said to herself, walking out to the middle of the yard where she found Ginny casting spells left and right. With a smooth flick of her wrist everything came together gracefully. Hermione walked silently right up to Ginny and placed her hands on the woman's jaw dropping hips.

"Mum sent you out here?" Ginny said, a bit of a bite present in her voice. Despite the rejection coming out of her mouth, her body relaxed at Hermione's touch, instinctively pressing herself into Hermione's body.

"I'm pretty sure she just wanted us on even ground before all the guests arrived." Hermione said lightly, burying her nose in the crook of Ginny's neck.

"That woman needs to get her hands out of my personal life. I'm a grown woman for Merlin's sake!" Ginny said turning herself around to meet Hermione face to face.

"She just wants to see you happy, Gin." Hermione said, repositioning her hands on the redhead's hips.

Ginny let her head fall so that the two girls' foreheads were touching.

"This is nice…" Hermione spoke softly. She nudged Ginny's forehead up enough to capture the girl's lips in a soft kiss.

"Hermione, I can't…" Ginny said sorrowfully, pulling away.

Hermione lifted the girls head by her chin as looked longingly into her dark green eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt you anymore, Herm." Ginny said, resolution evident on her face.

"By not being with me, you hurt me the most." Hermione said sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. I just can't do this right now…" Ginny said, a painful look upon her face. Before Hermione had time to respond Ginny had taken off, running into the house that was sure to be full of guests.

"If you thought I'd leave then you were wrong, 'cause I won't stop holding on." Hermione said as the woman she loved ran away.

'Does she even listen to a word I say?' Ginny thought as she ran into her parent's house.

'No you idiot, she is watching how you react to her! You are falling all over her!' she argued, angry at herself for letting it get this far.

"Hey, love. Did you just see Ginny storm through the house like that?" Harry asked his husband.

"Don't mind her, she's bloody mental. I had her completely convinced she needed to win Hermione back and then she pulled that Minister stunt out of nowhere. So naturally Ginny now feels she was right to begin with and that Hermione is better off without her. But, Hermione has now decided she is going to court Ginny. It's all really dramatic I think." Ron stated simply.

Harry could have swallowed a cat if it had jumped in his mouth.

"Since when do you find Hermione and Ginny's relationship simple?" he asked, flabbergasted.

"You would too if you had been listening to their problems as long as I have. Some really twisted shit is going on here, I'll tell you that. I just wish my baby sis would pull her very large head, out of her very tight arse." The redhead spoke disappointedly.

"You know Ron; I think these two need a bit of an intervention." Harry said.

"God I am so stupid! How can I let her keep doing this to me?" Ginny swore angrily at herself, pacing the room she grew up in.

Ginny heard a light knock on the door.

"What do you want, Ron?"Ginny asked through clenched teeth.

"Actually…" Harry said as he opened her door and stepped through. "Ron is helping your mum set up all the food outside. Well, realistically he's probably doing more tasting than helping…" the raven haired man said with a lopsided grin.

"You are probably right." Ginny said with a small laugh. Something's never change.

"How have you been, Ginny?" Harry said, he walked his way across the small bedroom and sat on her bed. Ginny could do nothing but stare at him in utter confusion.

"Now you care? Last I knew you didn't give a rats arse about how I've been!" Ginny yelled, slightly offended.

"Gin, really there is no need for more drama. You know for a fact that is complete rubbish. Now come sit next to your big brother-in-law and tell me, what's going on in that head of yours?"

Ginny stared suspiciously at the boy who lived, casting him the famous Weasley glare as she approached the bed.

"What do you want to know?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well, I have always been blunt with you in the past, might as well make it a tradition. I want to know why you keep pushing Hermione away." Harry said sternly.

Ginny could feel herself blush under the intense gaze and suddenly wished she was a little girl again, and not a woman who had to be held accountable for her actions.

"I… I just-"

"Here Ginny, I'm sorry to cut you off but I think I already know the answer. Ron and I both feel this is indeed an emergency. If you don't start listening to your heart and ignoring that fucked up head of yours, you are going to lose absolutely everything. I don't just mean you'll feel like you have lost it. No, you will have. You won't have quidditch, or your fans, your family, or your friends. And most importantly you won't have Hermione. Now you have done some pretty fucked up things from what I've heard all in the sake of keeping Hermione "safe". But what you need to realize is, she only wants you, no matter what the cost. I can't continue to sit by and watch you reject someone who loves you so unconditionally over and over again." Harry said getting into a bit of a frenzy.

"Harry I-"

"No more excuses, Ginny." He said finally. Harry stood up from the bed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"God, this is too much to think about at once!" Ginny groaned, falling back into her pillow.

"Aye! Hermione! Mind if I have a few words with you?" Ron said nervously. Hermione had just watched Ginny run away from her for what felt like the millionth time.

"Yeah, Ron. What's up?" she said absentmindedly.

"Well, it's about Ginny I suppose. How are things going with you two?" he said lightly.

"They aren't of course. It seems no matter what I do she rejects me. As soon as she lets down a barrier, she throws a thicker one back up. I'm beginning to think that maybe I should just give up and focus on being Minister. I just wish she would let me in long enough for me to convince her I'm worth loving." Hermione said sorrowfully.

"Well, herm. I think that's the bloody problem right now. Ginny is so blindly in love with you its scaring her to death. She told me a couple weeks ago that the only time she has ever felt complete after Fred's death was that night you two… well you know, back at her apartment. She also said that when you left she felt to emptiest she ever had in her whole life. Yes, she is afraid she'll hurt you, again. But really her hesitation stems from her own fears of being hurt. A damaged soul learns quickly not to trust people when it comes to matters of the heart." Ron said sadly.

"It's my entire fault. I saw the signs and I chose to ignore them because I was weak." Hermione said pathetically.

"No Hermione, it's not your fault. We all saw them, but no one cared to talk about it, 'cause we are all still dealing with that pain and would rather not open up old wounds." Ron said, placing his hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Now you listen to me. We have seen so much suffering over the last ten years. I myself have seen so much love die because of it. Or don't you remember? I'd say Tonks and Lupin defiantly didn't deserve what they got, and I can sure as hell tell you they are rolling in their graves with you two. Hermione…" Ron said softly, wiping away the tears that rolled gently down the woman's face.

"I've seen you cry way too many times. You deserve to be alive. Ginny deserves to feel alive. Don't give up on her, ever." He finished bringing her into a small, but tender hug.

"I won't… I… pro-mise…" Hermione sobbed into Ron's shoulder.

"Fucking… AHH!" Ginny yelled wildly, grabbing a brush off of her dresser and throwing it at the mirror in front of her.

"You are the one who has fucked this all up!" she yelled at the broken glass littering her bedroom floor. She couldn't look at her broken up self anymore. She couldn't bear one more minute of living this life. She wasn't Ginny, that person was dead.

"Fuck you." she said with a growl.

Before she could stop herself, Ginny ran out from her bedroom and down three flights of stairs, wiping the burning tears in her eyes furiously.

"Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked the first person she saw, not bothering to wait for an answer. She could barely hear Luna's dreamy voice say "Out in the garden…" and sprinted her way through the many guests that filled her childhood home.

"Hermione!" Ginny called, choking on her words as a sob came to the surface.

"What-" Hermione said, snapping out of her daze.

"Hermione, I can't do it anymore. I can't keep myself from you. If you keep doing this to me, you will get hurt. I will hurt you!" Ginny said grabbing Hermione's hands and shaking them roughly.

"Ginny, I'll hurt a million times more without you. Please! Give us another chance! Please let me love you the way I was meant to!" Hermione pleaded back, pressing her forehead to Ginny's in an attempt to hold the girls fiery gaze.

"I love you, Ginny." Hermione said softly, cupping her face. Ginny's green eyes couldn't take themselves away from Hermione's deep brown ones.

"I… I love you, too." Ginny said so softly she sounded like a scared child.

"Good, 'cause I've seen love die way too many times when it deserved to be alive." Hermione said running her left hand through Ginny's bright red mane.

"And I've seen you cry way too many times. You deserve to be alive, Ginny. I can give you life." The brunette said. Before Ginny could comprehend the words Hermione spoke, she was swept up in a breath taking kiss. It was as if Hermione couldn't get enough of her, and Ginny felt herself kissing the girl with just as much passion right back.

The kiss seemed to last forever and neither girl could see everyone gathering outside around them. Ginny pulled back just a bit to get some air and movement caught the corner of her eye.

"Herm, I think they are watching us…" Ginny said nervously.

"Let them, I've been waiting my whole life to kiss you like that and not even the Minister of Magic could stop me." She said with a smile.

"But, you are the Minister." Ginny said, clearly confused.

"Well then, that just means we won't have to worry about that, now will we?" she said smiling up through her eyes. Ginny wanted that smile to last forever, and she desperately wanted to be the cause of it.

"Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" they could hear the Weasley clan shouting, most likely started by George.

"What are you waiting for, Gin? Kiss her…" Hermione said playfully.

Ginny captured her smiling lips in a searing kiss that made all the spectators cat call and whistle.

Ginny wrapped her strong arms around Hermione's hips lifting her off the ground. The brunette instinctively wrapped her legs around Ginny's waist and pushed her fingers through her hair. Ginny couldn't remember a time she felt more complete.

"Take me home…" Hermione whispered in her ear, and Ginny half turned right on the spot.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer**: I stood in line for the release of Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix for 9 hours; I'm defiantly not making any money off of this.

Also! I may be wicked sexy *coughs*, but I'm defiantly not Hayley Williams. Just in case you all were getting your hopes up.

It's a short one but the next is on the way. 10 galleons say's this chapter makes **opac **hate me. *evil grin*

Genießen!

Chapter 18: We Are Broken

Ginny felt like her world was on fire. Never before had she felt so completely happy and this feeling scared her more then she could handle. Placing Hermione on the ground outside her apartment she took a step away from her, regaining her balance.

The redhead looked around them, feeling a cold breeze pull through the warm summer's day.

"I've been waiting so long to feel this way, Hermione. Just waiting to feel the sun warm my skin, warm the coldness I feel. I've seen so much-"

"We all have, love. We've seen the worst of life, now please… let me show you the best." Hermione said softly, reaching out to the younger woman.

Ginny felt her palms all sweaty, her mouth was dry and she wasn't exactly sure how ready she was for this. Did she really have the ability to show Hermione what she felt coming? She needed to get out of here, or let this happen and right now she felt safer under the Cruciatus Curse then with the one person who she refused to show her pain to.

"Tell me Ginny, why must we live like this, when instead of sorrow we can feel love?" Hermione asked the broken girl. She took a hesitant step to her closing the gap Ginny forced between them. Panicking, Ginny heard everything she felt for the last four years spill from her mouth in one long cry.

"I don't want to wake up one day and forget everything that's happened! I don't want to forget him… I'm so afraid that if I let myself be happy… he'll be gone for good! He's dead because of me! I'm the one that should have died; I'm the one who should have saved his life! And now I'll forever live with the knowledge that I killed my brother! I can't let go of him! I can't just let him be dead, because I killed him and I need to pay for that!" Ginny said almost too fast for Hermione to understand. She felt her heart break for the girl as she took her in her arms, trying her best to hold the now sobbing girl up right.

"Gin, you will never forget him. He will always be here inside your heart. But he would want you to be happy, love. You have to see that's all he would have wanted. He saved your life, because he loved you. you didn't kill him, Ginny. How could you ever believe you are responsible for his death?" She asked painfully, inching them towards the door of Ginny's apartment building. When it seemed as though Ginny didn't have an answer for her she pulled away from the girl just enough to see the dejected look upon her red tear stained face.

"Come on love, let's get inside." Hermione said, guiding the redhead in the building and up the stairs. Hermione's tapped her wand on the door knob and it opened for her.

"Come on now." She encouraged. Grabbing the girl's hand, Hermione closed the door and led them to Ginny's bedroom. Once inside she turned to face the girl and began stripping her of her clothes.

Ginny's bright green eyes were on fire from the tears she shed only moments ago, and she seemed to be in a sort of daze. Hermione had never seen Ginny give in to all the emotion inside her before and though it scared her, she knew there were far worse things Ginny could do. She lifted her toned arms up and peeled the t-shirt that clung to the athlete's tight body, up and over her head. Hermione threw it in the hamper and started on Ginny's studded belt buckle, unfastening it and slipping it out of the loops of her Levi's. She rolled it up and placed it on the dresser to her left. She undid the button on the now loose pants and pulled them down far enough so Ginny could step right out of them. Standing in only a pair of matching black boy shorts, a push up bra and her Converses, Ginny looked like half a person. How could she go from being so happy, to so broken? It broke Hermione's heart just being near her, but she knew this was the first step to Ginny finally healing.

"We are all broken, love. And for the longest time all I could ask myself was 'What can we do to restore ourselves? How can we get back our innocence?' We have rebuilt our homes, our work, and our school. But we can't rebuild our families. I begged for an answer every night you went out. Every time you came back different, empty, cold, I begged to every god in existence to give us life again. I just want you to be whole Ginny. I just want to be whole." Hermione said, catching Ginny's distant gaze. She shed her own blouse and slacks, taking off her heels. She bent down and undid the laces of Ginny's beaten up red Chuck Taylors. Once Ginny kicked them off, Hermione guided Ginny into the girl's bed, lying next to her.

After a few minutes of watching the redhead's back move with her breathing, Hermione could hear her voice softly.

"Can you hold me?" Ginny said weakly. Hermione wrapped her left arm over Ginny's side and scooted in closer, spooning her. She felt as though she was protecting Ginny from herself right now.

'Tower over me…' Ginny though hopefully. She wanted nothing more than to be completely engulfed in the woman she loved so badly.

Hermione could feel Ginny heart beat slowly pounding through the material of her lace bra. She could feel her muscles flex each time Ginny's thought wandered back to the night Fred had saved her life, ending his own. She could feel the connection between them forming the right way. Last time she felt this was the night she attempted to make Ginny's feel, all those years ago at Hogwarts. This time that very connection felt whole, unbreakable. They would never question their need for one another again.

"I love you." Hermione said softly, burying her nose in the red hair she loved so much. Ginny mumbled a soft "You too, Herm…" as she fell soundly asleep. Hermione prayed as she always did when Ginny was asleep in her arms. Who she was praying to she was unsure, but she had to believe that just maybe, someone was listening. Someone could help her find happiness once and for all. After the everything was said and done with, the only thing Hermione truly wanted for Ginny and herself, was to become whole.

With a last prayer Hermione fell asleep to the sound of Ginny breathing. There was a time recently, when she never thought she would be in this position. Now that she had Ginny in her arms, she would never again let her go.

"Sweetest of dream, love." She whispered softly.

* * *

Ginny couldn't tell you the last time she had fallen asleep without a shot or two and pill. She couldn't tell you the last time she hadn't woken up in a cold sweat from the nightmares that filled her unconsciousness. When she woke up a few hours later, the sun just setting through her window, she was both astonished at how peaceful sleep had come to her. Shaking it off as just emotional exhaustion, she sat up carefully, not wanting to disturb the sleeping beauty that lay next to her.

Walking through the hall of her flat she reflected on everything that had happened in the last five months. She had made the decision to push Hermione out of her life. She had forced herself into a relationship with someone she couldn't stand, just to ensure she couldn't take it back or be forgiven. She left her in order to not get "dumped" and feel like even more of a loser. She almost lost her job because she let her anger get in the way of being a leader. She was broken, she had really messed a lot of shit up, but she felt better now for some reason. Whether it was the tears she finally shed, or the wonderful woman towered over her existence, she was unsure. All she knew was she could feel a slight bit of hope somewhere inside her. And she wasn't prepared to let that go again.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** Kennedy Ann is to Jo Rowling as a Tricycle is to a Ducati.

So there is a song from Kings of Leon in this as well, Arizona. Not mine, though I wish it was. Definitely one of the best pieces of music to ever reach my ears though, I'd encourage all to listen to it towards the end. If you are a smart person, you'll understand when you should start it ;) If not, just pretend like you did and I promise no one will know the difference XD

Chapter 19: Pressure

Ron heard a loud crack coming from the living room of Grimmauld place.

"Whaz-ah-arree…" He mumbled into his pillow. Harry turned his head to the clock on his dresser that read 2:37 a.m.

"I think we have a visitor love, I'll go see who it is." The raven haired man said, rubbing his hand lovingly against the redheads shoulder. He didn't have to wait to know Ron had fallen fast asleep almost instantly.

Putting the book he was just reading down on the bed, Harry pushed the covers off his legs, grabbed his wand and made his way out of their bedroom, down the hall, and down two flights of stairs.

"Lumos." he said softly, soon the living room was lit up and he could make out a redheaded girl sitting on the couch.

"Ginny? What are you doing here so late?" he asked cautiously. The man had not seen his sister-in-law since last week, the night of molly's get-together, and was unsure as to why she was sitting in his living room at such an hour.

"I'm really scared, Harry." He heard her whisper under her breath. Taking a few steps closer he could see she had been crying, possibly for awhile.

"Is this about tomorrow? Or is this about Hermione?" he asked, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

Ginny shrugged sadly, looking away from his questioning gaze.

"I feel like it's expected of me, to win. And I think that you're the only other person I know of that knows what that feeling is like." She said, still avoiding his gaze.

"This is the match tomorrow, right? Ginny, you know you are going to win."

"Exactly. I'm going to win, and everyone knows it. But what happens if I don't. I feel like if I fail, that it won't just be a failure. It will be like the entire world is going to end and I'll be the cause of it. Harry, I don't remember being a kid. I'm only 21 and I can't remember laughing and playing. What happened, harry? Where did all that time go? Did it even happen?" she asked him. Not sure of the answer he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He did understand what she meant. When the world expected so much from you, there was little room for mistake and it was extremely tiresome.

"I don't think I can do it much longer, Harry. I feel like any moment from now I might break. I just can't take it. Even with Hermione right next to me, I still lie awake at night feeling empty. But not in the same way as before; I feel empty 'cause I don't think I have it in me to keep up their expectations." Ginny tried to explain, finally meeting his light green eyes.

"You feel the pressure, Ginny. It's normal to feel this way when everyone expects so much out of you." he said, wishing he could have phrased it better for the younger girl.

"I think the team would be better off without me. They need a better leader, and I need to love quidditch again." She said sadly, fidgeting with her hands.

"Well, have you thought about retiring? Obviously not until tomorrow is over, but still. Maybe you should look into another career. Have you talked to Hermione about all this?" he asked her.

"Not yet, she is so wrapped up in this project, I really don't want to burden her with my problems right now. I mean, things between us are only just getting back to where they should be, and I don't want to halt our progress 'cause I feel like being a big quidditch star is too much for me anymore." She said, running her hand through her hair out of habit.

"And you think hiding something as important as your happiness from her won't halt your progress?" he asked, a lop-sided grin upon his face.

"Listen Ginny, big bro is about to get blunt on your arse again. You have a commitment to your team. And sometime between right now and tomorrow you are going to have to find it in yourself to lead them. Whether you win or not isn't what matters, it's that you play the best game of your life. This is the fourth year in a row you are up for the Championship. Do you really want to psych yourself out so bad that you let it slip through your fingertips? No one has ever done what you have! And if you get through this game with your head held high, you can do whatever you want after. Retire and become fat, or you could write for the daily profit or Quidditch Weekly! Hell, maybe you could even be a coach or something." Harry said with a smile.

Ginny knew what he was saying was the absolute truth. In a matter of hours she would be facing the Finches for the Cup and if she brought even one once of doubt onto that pitch, the team would suffer for it.

Harry wrapped his arm around the Ginny's impressive shoulders and squeezed her gently.

"You are going to win tomorrow, Gin. I can feel it."

'Funny, all I can feel is the entire world putting more pressure on me than any other person in history.' Ginny thought sardonically.

"Yeah, I know. I should probably get back to Hermione. She might wake up and freak out if I'm gone." She said somberly. The redhead turned into her brother-in-law's embrace and hugged him softly.

"Thank you." she said into his ear.

"I can't wait till tomorrow; you know both Ron and I will be up in the Ministers booth with the rest of your family. I never thought I'd get to see a game from the Minister's booth!" he said excitedly. "Hermione is the bloody coolest!"

Ginny laughed at his excitement and stood up. With one last smile at the boy-who-lived Ginny half turned and found herself on the streets of London, about three blocks away from her apartment.

She reached into her leather jacket and pulled out a menthol and her Zippo.

"I taste… all I ever needed," she sang slightly out of tune, lighting up the end on the cigarette. "All I ever wanted," she inhaled deeply. "Too drunk to surrender." She pocketed the lighter. She exhaled the smoke into the night's air, taking a step in the direction of her apartment.

"She shakes… like I'm on a railway, ch-checking me out… someone on a shoulder." She sang, flicking the ash off the end of her Cigarette.

One foot after the other she made her way down the empty sidewalk, humming the melody under her breath. Making a right turn she continued her soft singing.

"Her lamp… flickers in her bedroom," she takes a drag, "She must feel it's awkward… whorehouse Arizona." She let out the smoke from her lungs, taking another quick drag, her destination in sight.

"Now go… stand up to a giant. Say that I'm a fighter…" she pinched the end of her Cigarette, letting the last of the tobacco fall to the ground. "Too drunk to remember…" She stomped the burning embers out, tossing the filter into the waste bin outside her apartment complex. "Too drunk to…" she continued to hum as she made her way up the stepped.

Taping her door handle with her wand, she walked into her apartment closing and locking the door behind her.

"Shake hands…" she sang a bit more quietly then before. Shrugging off her jacket, she placed it on the chair in her kitchen and walked to the fridge opening it.

"My face… laying on the pavement," she gazed into the cooler trying to decide what she wanted. "Tasted something awful…" she grabbed a Fuller's from the top shelf and cracked the top open. "I hate when that happens." The redhead took a long pull from the bottle and closed the fridge moving to the pantry.

"She winks…" she continues, pulling open the door. "Thinken that it's sexy," she scanned the row of different crisp bags, setting her sights on the cheese flavored Walkers. "She must be plum crazy…" she grabbed the bag and closed the door with the back of her beer clad hand. "I kinda think I like her…" she continued.

"I kinda think I do." Ginny heard softly, coming from behind her.

"How long have you been standing there…" Ginny said walking her way to the woman of her affections.

"Since you came in." Hermione said with a small smile. She grabbed the beer from Ginny's hand and took a swig.

Ginny kissed the brown-eyed beauty softly, letting her lips say what she felt words could never describe.

"Since when do you listen to Kings of Leon…? I though you hated them?" Ginny asked with a taunting smile.

"I guess you could say I've warmed up to them a bit." Hermione said turning around, still holding onto the half gone beer.

"Come back to bed…" she called over her shoulder. Ginny stood in the doorway watching her lover walk away. Taking a crisp out of the bag she munched on it, taking in the incredible sight of Hermione in nothing but a large button down dress shirt.

"I'll be there in a moment, love." She said as Hermione turned the corner and vanished into her bedroom.

"I kinda think I do…" she said softly. Eating another crisp, Ginny smiled at the thoughts running through her head. They were going to win tomorrow; she was going to make history. And most importantly, Hermione was hers, and she was beginning to understand what happiness really felt like.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter and everything that goes with it belongs to a woman far more magnificent than me.

This is dedicated to **opac**, who is now a year closer to being old and wrinkly. Don't worry, you still look pretty damn smexy. Happy birthday, girl. I do hope it was a great one. XD

Chapter 20: We Were Born For This

Ginny sat in the Harpies locker room studying the tape job on her hands. She paid little attention to the two beaters warming up their arms as they hit the lockers one after another. Nor did she see her fellow chasers doing pushups, trying to pump each other up. She didn't know that their seeker was currently in a deep meditative state in the corner or that their coach was pacing nervously like a mad woman in the communal showers. The only thing Ginny was aware of right now was how important the coming hours would be.

"Okay girls, you know we are the best quidditch team the god damn world has ever seen! Right?" Gwenog yelled a little too nervously. Ginny raised her hands, silencing her coach.

"Um, I think it's best if I do the talking, Gwen." Ginny said evenly. She wasn't exactly sure what she had to say, so she remained silent in thought for a few minutes.

"Um… Gin?" she heard a fellow chaser ask, but held up her hand asking for silence.

Ginny knew she had come a long way in only a sort bit of time. This, however, did not stop negative thoughts from resurfacing themselves in times of trial.

"You girls have done things no one else in the world can say they have done. We have dominated the quidditch circuit for 4 years now, always coming home with the Cup in hand. There is a whole lot of talent standing before me. Every single one of you athletes is the best of the best."

"No Ginny, you are the best. We just follow your example, always have." A bright voice rang out from her left. She glanced over at their seeker, giving her a small smile.

"Please, don't flatter me. It's absolutely horrid on my complexion." The redhead joked, smiling at the few laughs around her.

"We are going to go out there and play the best sodden game of Quidditch the world has ever seen! And do any of you know why? Can any of you tell me the reason why we are going to win?" Ginny asked, looking at the faces surrounding her. Some of the girls looked terrified; some seemed to be pondering the question as though it weren't rhetorical.

"Because we were born for this." Ginny said. She stood up, and walked her way over to the left, where their seeker was leaning against the wall. She was the newest member of their team, and only a back up last year. She had never been played in a game this important.

"Steph, it has never been more important for you to watch for my signals. If anything, I want your head more in the game then looking for the snitch, 'cause if it is not caught at the right time, it's all over." The blonde nodded her head, meeting Ginny's eyes with her own light green ones, she spoke only loud enough for Ginny's to hear.

"I won't let you down, Gin."

Satisfied with her answer Ginny made her way to the next girl, a fellow chaser named Carry.

"You are my main set up tonight. I want to feel as though you are reading my thoughts every single time one of our hands touch that qwaffle."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Captain." Carry said confidently. This was her third time playing alongside Ginny at the championship and she was anxious to get out there and do what they do best.

Ginny put her arm around and settled it at the base of the girls' neck, pulling them so that their foreheads touched.

"We were born for this. You know that just as well as I do." She whispered, staring daggers into the girls' hazel eyes.

Ginny pulled away from Carry, making her way to the two largest women of the bunch.

"If I get hit by a fucking bludger, I'm coming after you two." She said in mock seriousness. The girls both started laughing and punched their captain in the arm one after another.

"You really think we ain't gonna take care of you ladies?" Reilly, the taller one, said with a smile.

Ginny chuckled under her breath, rubbing the now sore spot on her right bicep.

"Hey! I didn't notice that before!" the shorter beater said, a look of bewilderment upon her face.

"Oi! Does your lady got you whipped or something?" she said slapping her partner in hysteria.

"Shut it, Carla." Ginny said through gritted teeth.

"You." she said pointedly to their keeper.

"Yea, I know. Guard that shit like it's my bitch." She said laughing, giving Ginny a high-five and a slap on her arse.

The redhead made her way to the last girl on the team. She grabbed her arm with her left hand, cupping the brunettes face strongly with her right.

"You got this, Leah. You know you do." She said intensely, trying to meet the other girl's eyes. She felt so bad for the young chaser. Nerves seemed to be her worst enemy these days. Once she got on the pitch it was all dandelions and rainbows, but before hand the girl was beyond useless.

"I… I know…. Gin." She said, trying to pull herself together. Ginny brought the girl in for a strong hug, whispering into her ear softly.

"You have got this. We were born for this."

"WICHES AND WIZARDS FROM HERE TO AMERICA AND BACK! PLEASE RAISE YOUR VOICES FOR THE HOTTEST TEAM IN THE WEST! THE FINTCHWOOD! FINCHES!"

The team could hear the roar as it made its way into the locker-room. There was probably more than 60,000 people cramped into the stadium, twice as many as should be allowed. They could hear the whoops and whistles as the American team fly around the stadium, getting in a few practice dives that were actually meant for showboating.

"Come on girls! We were born for this!" Ginny yelled at them, grabbing her Weasley 480.

"She is right!" she could hear their coach, Gwenog yell excitedly.

"Let's go show 'em what we're made of, boss." She heard Carry say, coming up behind her.

AND NOW, THE BEAUTIFUL LADIES THAT HAVE HELD THE CHAMPIONSHIP CUP FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS! YOU'RE HERE IN THEIR VERY OWN STADIUM! THE HOLLYHEAD HARPIES!

They all mounted their brooms and with Ginny taking lead, flew out onto the pitch and into the bright sun light.

The roar of the crowd surrounding them was defining. Ginny sped up like a rocket with the rest of her team in tow and flew a lap around the stadium, taking in all the people there to see them win. About 3 quarters of the way in she came to a glass box filled with all the redheads in London.

"Ginny! Ginny! Ginny!" she saw her brothers, plus Harry chanting at the tops of their lungs. Her mother was bawling happily in her father's arms and next to them sat a beaming brunette in a dark purple cloak.

Hermione caught the redhead's attention with her eyes and winked at her mouthing a silent "I love you".

Ginny's brought her left hand up, kissing the tattoo on her ring finger, letting the Minister know exactly how loved she was in return.

"All right now! Everyone gather 'round!" Ginny heard the referee call from the center of the pitch. Ginny lead her teammates to the man wearing black and white striped quidditch robes.

"Okay now, we are playing UCW rules here. One foul equals two penalty shots, three foul's from a player and they're out of the game, you hear me?" he asked the crowd. Ginny found herself staring down the captain of the opposing team, trying to find some way to intimidate the girl before they even started.

"I'm letting the snitch go…" the ref said, throwing the golden ball up into the air. Both Stephanie and the opposing seekers eyes shot up in an attempt to keep sight of it.

"Now, can I get the two captains to come forth and shake hands?" he asked.

Ginny leaned forward on her broom, meeting the other girl in the middle of the circle.

"Good luck." She the other witch said, reaching out for Ginny's hand. Grasping it, the redhead looked back at her teammates and smiled knowingly.

"Yeah, you too." She said shaking it. With a sudden tug of the other girls hand, Ginny found herself inches from her startled opponents face.

"You're gonna need it, mate." She said wearing the same shit eating grin as the rest of her team. Even Leah seemed beyond confident, staring daggers into the slim boy she knew she could out fly.

"Okay now, keepers guard your goal posts…" the two players zoomed to their respective sides, allowing the chasers time to get into formation and the seekers to get out of the way.

"INITIUM!" the ref shouted and out from his wand shot two speeding bludger's and the qwaffle. Ginny leapt off her broom, sending it forward as she grabbed the red ball. One of her opponents fly straight between her and her broom, successfully colliding face first with a well placed bludger.

Ginny reached out from her broom and once she made contact with it went into a dangerously low dive. She could almost feel the chaser following her as she increased her speed, aiming directly for the ground. At the last second, Ginny pulled up just enough to turn her body parallel to the ground, shooting towards the Finches goal post.

Turning herself so her back almost brushed the grass below her, Ginny threw the qwaffle straight up in the air, where Carry could get just enough hand on it to send it right above the keeper's arms and into the highest of the hoops. Ginny was faintly aware of the cheering and the score being shouted from the announcers tower.

* * *

Hermione could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest. It had been a year since the last time she had witnessed Ginny play and she really didn't think it was possible at the time, but the redhead had gotten even better. She was astonished by the grace and fluidity Ginny put into her turns. Even the sharpest, most dangerous ones she made look like flying through water. Hermione sat in awe of the girl, mouth open, throat dry, eyes afraid to blink as Ginny set up goal after goal.

Bill, Charlie, Fred, Ron, and Harry all stood, nose and hands pressed up the glass banging at it wildly every time the harpies had possession of the qwaffle.

"What the bloody hell, ref! That wanker just practically took out our seeker!" Fred yelled violently shaking his fist at the player responsible.

"Fred! Watch your language!" Molly scolded, as though her son was actually paying any attention to her.

"Molly, dear. Lay off of them, they are only being protective of your youngest and only daughter." The tall, balding man said lovingly.

Hermione went back to concentrating on the game. She could see her girlfriend was chasing after a player in brown and gold, attempting to intercept the goal he was about to score. As the qwaffle left his hand, Ginny flew straight up, right above his head. The keepers saw this coming and deflected the shot, hitting it right into Ginny's waiting arms. Nearly avoiding a bludger to the shoulder, Ginny spun on her broom and took off to the other side of the pitch, where her fellow teammates were waiting to set up another play.

* * *

"Hey!" Ginny called to Stephanie, flying close enough to tap the seekers shoulder, signaling it was time to end this match. After three hours the score as 370 to 80, Harpies in the lead and even though she could tell the other team was far more tired then them, she didn't want to push her luck.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Stephanie pull a sharp dive and she set her sights to scoring the last goal before her team won the Championship once more. She wasn't sure if this would be her last goal scored with the harpies, but just in case, she was going to make it a crowd pleaser.

The stadium came alive with the excitement of the seekers, Ginny taking advantage of the others attention being torn away from her, flew faster than she ever had allowed herself to, taking the qwaffle under her right arm. She darted for the keeper; her intentions clear that if he didn't move, she would put this ball right between his eyes. He jumped off his broom in an attempt to avoid being hit by the flying torpedo and fell to the ground, hoping one of his teammates might catch him. Ginny pulled the handle of her broom up sharply, just missing the hoop as she tossed the qwaffle into it. Heading back to the center of the pitch she just caught the sight of her seekers hand closing around the snitch.

It all happened so fast; fireworks shot out the tops of the whole stadium, showering the players with colorful light.

"We did it, Gin!" she heard Carry say loudly, pulling her into a side huge.

"I told you! I told you we were born for this!" she yelled back. Pulling away from the girl, Ginny looked around searching for the minister's box. When her eyes met the sight of her whole family, everyone she loved, celebrating the victory as though it were the end of a war.

She flew to the ref and shook the other captain's hand with a large smile upon her face.

"Good game!" she said joyfully. Without a second thought she flew straight to the Minister's booth, fingering the box in her pocket.

"Now, for the real challenge." She mumbled to herself.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** Jo is like the shepherd, and I am but one sheep in her flock.

Okay, so this story has been filled with a good bit of angst. It only seems fair I let the last couple chapters be a bit fluffier. If this makes you regurgitate, feel free to PM me and tell me how terrible of a person I am. =p

**Mit Liebe geschrieben :)**

Chapter 21: Hallelujah

Hermione couldn't wipe the smile from her face. Never before had she been so proud of her lover.

"Did you see that last goal, 'Mione? That's was bloody brilliant!" she heard Ron yell wildly, wrapping her in a strong hug and spinning her out of her seat.

"Yes Ron, I was watching! Harry, please tell him to put me down!" she begged from her oldest friend. Before she knew it, he had joined Ron in lifting her up, now on their shoulders, parading her around the glass box to the cheers of Ginny's family.

"Guys! Please put me down! I'm serious, you know I hate heights!" she yelled nervously, grasping the tops of their Harpies fan robes tightly.

"Hey, you think I might get a moment with the Minister…" Ginny asked with a lopsided grin, placing her broom against the entrance.

"Ginny! Did you see that match?" her oldest brother, Bill, yelled excitedly.

"Um… yeah, Bill… I was playing in it." She deadpanned, accepting the excited hug he gave her.

"Ewe, you're all sweaty…" he said, pulling a face. Ginny couldn't help but laugh at her brother.

"Oh really, am I? I had no idea." She mused.

"You were bloody brilliant out there, Gin!" Ron said excitedly. The rest of the gang all followed with their own versions of praise. She could see George smiling at her, and though it hurt that Fred's identical one was not alongside it, she felt strong enough to push through it.

Her mother started fidgeting with her uniform, laying the collar flat and brushing the few strands of auburn hair that fell out of her ponytail, behind her ear.

"Mum! Quit it!" she said blushing as the older Weasley tried to rub some dirt off the young girl's cheek.

"Oh, you are just so marvelous, dear. You can't imagine just how proud I am of you."

Ginny kissed her mothers forehead, then extracted herself from the plump woman's arms, heading over to where her father stood beaming.

'Everything really seems to have fallen back into place…' Ginny thought to herself, shaking her father's hand.

"I second your mother; you are definitely a daughter to be proud of." He said with a smile. She hugged him tightly, receiving an awkward but loving pat on the back.

"Hey, you come here baby sis." The largest of the redheads yelled across the room. She ran over to her brother, Charlie, jumping into his arms, as he was the only one in the family, with the exception of their father, that stood taller than her.

"You did so well!" he exclaimed, finally putting her back on the ground. She felt herself blushing, knowing there was only one other person to address.

She could hear a soft clearing of a familiar voice. Turning around she was met with the sweetest smile she'd ever been blessed with.

"You looked incredible up there…" Hermione said nervously. They were currently on good terms, but hadn't made their relationship "official" yet.

"Thanks…" Ginny said blushing.

"Um… I actually have something for you." Ginny fidgeted with the pockets of her robe, too nervous to go in and pull out what laid inside it just yet.

"Ginny, you didn't have to get-"

"No. Just… listen." Ginny cut her off, eyes' pleading for her to really hear what was going to come next. She took Hermione's left hand into her own shaking one; the tattoo clearly visible, even with the tape job, for everyone to see.

"I wish there was a way to make time fly faster, because I'm falling more and more in love with you all over again. I know this is going to sound crazy. I know your gut instincts will be to say no. But I need you to understand something." Ginny said, trying to find the Gryffindor courage inside of her.

"This time, were not giving up. Let's make this last forever…" she continued. Hermione could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She imagined this was very much like feeling God take over your body. But in the back of her mind, she knew it was just too soon. She was the Minister of Magic; Ginny was the biggest Quidditch star in the world! There was no way they had time for this kind of relationship yet.

Ginny could see the doubt behind Hermione's brown eyes, but pushed it aside.

"Hermione, I can't force myself to see the end without you in my arms forever. Please be mine, and before you know it, we'll be old together, feeling as though time flew by us faster then we could ever have anticipated." Ginny practicaly begged. Forcing back the tears she felt coming from all the overwhelming emotions, Ginny pulled out a small black box and opened it. Inside, laid a simple Claddagh ring in white gold with an Australian fire opal heart.

"Hermione…" Ginny said, looking deep into Hermione's dark brown eyes.

"I know I've really messed things up the last couple months. Hell, since the start really... But you have shown me happiness where I thought none existed. You are all I'll ever want, and this time, I'm not giving up. Will you please take my hand in marriage?" she asked with pleading eyes. "Let's make this last forever."

Hermione should have felt uncomfortable; she should have felt all eyes on her, waiting for her answer. But all she felt instead was Ginny's love, and honesty.

"Yes…" she answered. "I'll be your wife, Ginevra."

Ginny smiled in a way she never thought possible, almost sure the corners of her mouth reached far past her eyes. She slipped the ring onto Hermione's ring finger, intertwining their left hands.

"Semper." The redhead muttered, gazing longingly into Hermione's eyes.

"Semper." Hermione said next, with a flash of light, the two women were kissing passionately, holding onto each other for dear life.

Everyone in the Minister's box cheered loudly, patting both women on the back in congratulations.

"Everybody! A toast!" Hermione said, finally pulling away from the woman who had once more, stolen her heart.

"To my beautiful fiancé. And for all those of you who bet on who would have the balls to pop the question, congratulations to you! You all now owe Ginny and I half of your winnings!" she laughed to everyone.

"Not fair!" she heard George call from the sea of red.

"It is too you git!" Ginny yelled back good-naturedly.

"Cheers!" everyone rang out together, sipping from their respective glasses.

"I love you." Ginny whispered into Hermione's ear.

"We, have a lot to discuss." Hermione said sternly, giving her a glare that could kill a death eater.

"Whatever you say love…" Ginny said with a small laugh and a bright smile. She kissed the back of Hermione's hand and then the heart of the ring. "Whatever you say."


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** If I was Jo this would have been posted a week ago. Enough said.

So yeah… life has been, interesting, the last two weeks. It's kind of affected my ability to put anything useful down on paper. That would be why this took so long. I apologize a million times. .

Chapter 22: Adore

Hermione pushed Ginny up against the door of her apartment flat. Neither of them could stand the crowded atmosphere of the three broom sticks much longer and opted to excuse themselves from the festivities.

"God, you make me so hot when you fly…" Hermione growled. Ripping down the front of Ginny's quidditch robes she slipped her hand inside, pushing past Ginny's bra and cupping her breast.

"Fuck…" Ginny hissed, arching her back into the contact. She grabbed Hermione roughly by the hair and pulled her in for a searing kiss.

"Herm… I fucking need you…" she panted, pulling away from the kiss and staring fire into Hermione intense gaze.

The brunette reached up with both hands, cupping her lovers face. A fire of color caught her eye and distracted her from the brilliant green before her.

"Ginny… it really is breath taking…" she said softly, still gazing at the sparkling engagement ring.

"I know… just like you." she said longingly. The red head pushed her back, accentuating every step they took with a kiss filled with need. Once they made it to Hermione's bedroom Ginny waste no time with getting the Minister unclothed.

"Ginny…"Hermione said, watching as articles of clothing left their bodies.

"Yes, love?" Ginny said as she undid her flying trousers.

"Just… slow down, please." Hermione begged, placing her hands on her lovers in an effort to her to slow motions.

"What's… wrong?" Ginny asked, clearly hurt by Hermione limiting her advances.

"Gin, when was the last time we made love in this bed?" she asked carefully, not wanting to set the redhead off.

"Um… I guess a while ago? Why does that matter, love?" Ginny went in for another kiss only to be stopped as Hermione turned her head to the side. Ginny could see tears in her eyes and she was unsure why Hermione was being so cautious about making love to her.

"Baby, whats wrong?" she asked kindly, following Hermione's eyes to the neatly made up bed.

"When was the last time you had sex on this bed?" Hermione ask, trying to keep the pain and harshness from her voice.

When it dawned on Ginny what Hermione was getting at she could physically feel her heart drop out of her chest.

"I'm… oh god. I'm so insensitive. Herm, I'm so sorry I didn't remember… I didn't realize! Please… let's just… we can go out to the kitchen and make some tea, okay?" Ginny asked cautiously. She really did feel like the lousiest person to ever walk the planet.

"No. I want the last person you make love to in MY bed, to be ME. Your fiancé." She said sternly. "I just want to do it the right way, not tear each other's clothes off and fuck until we are both incapable of moving." She turned to Ginny and took her face back into her hands.

"I want to make love to ever part of you, so that you never want to be with another woman again."

Ginny couldn't believe what she was hearing. Or what Hermione was doing for that matter.

The brunette circled around Ginny, stopping behind her to place her hands on very tight shoulders, messaging them deeply.

"Merlin…" Ginny sighed. Hermione continued worshiping her tense shoulders, placing one lingering kiss after another along the sides of her neck.

Ginny turned herself into Hermione's body and pressed their bodies together. Reaching out she pushed a strand of brown hair behind her lover's right ear, lingering there. She could feel Hermione shudder at the contact and watched as the blacks in her darkening eyes dilated.

Hermione slowly began walking to her bed, gently pushing Ginny down and crawling on top of her lap, straddling her hips.

"I'm going to make you come so hard, you will never think about fucking another woman for as long as you live." Hermione said, her voice a few octaves lower than usual. She unhooked the back of Ginny's bra and pulled it off, leaving her chest bare, glowing in the soft light of the setting sun outside her bedroom window.

"Is that right?" Ginny countered, undoing the button fly on Hermione's black dress trousers.

"Yes. Do I sense some doubt… from you?" the brunette asked, pushing her lover back on the bed, pinning her hands above their heads.

"All you should sense from me, love, is the longing to have you inside me. Maybe, how much I want to taste you, and hear you scream my name over and over again, till I feel I might faint from blushing."

It was Hermione's turn to be speechless as Ginny flipped them over so she was on top, pushing herself flush against the older woman.

"You're already blushing, you know?" Hermione tried to keep her cool. She didn't want Ginny to know how much her advances were working.

Ginny pulled down Hermione's pants slowly, taking in each inch of creamy white leg before throwing them to the ground along with her panties.

"God, you are so fucking beautiful. It's… breath-taking." Ginny was lost in her own head, gently stroking the skin and curves of her lover with a look of simple adoration on her face.

"I love you, Ginevra." She spoke softly, grabbing the redhead's attention. Green eyes met soft loving brown ones in a look that clearly stated 'this was right.'

"I want to marry you." Hermione said, loving the way those green eyes lit up even more by her words.

"Come here…" she said softly, pulling the speechless redhead into a passionate kiss.

* * *

"Hey you." Ginny spoke softly, tracing the back script on the right side of Hermione's ribcage.

"Hey yourself." She answered, a small smile playing at the sides of her mouth.

"What did you want to talk about earlier?" the redhead asked, snuggling into the warm body. Hermione wrapped her arms around her partner on instinct and held her there as she thought.

"I wasn't expecting you to do that, Gin. It really took me by surprise and put me on the spot and… well I guess I'm trying to tell you that, thought I love you and truly do wish to marry you, I have doubts. And I don't think this is the kind of thing you should have doubts about, you know?" Hermione said cautiously. Ginny had already anticipated this conversation and raised her hand asking for silence.

"Stop, just listen."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding.

"Every time I come around you, I feel… more alive than ever. And yes, maybe this is all too much at one time, you being Minister, we just won the Championship, world cup try outs are in a month… you're making the big announcement soon. And sure, maybe we are too young, maybe this new relationship is too new, but I know Hermione, I know I have never wanted anything so bad. I've never wanted anyone so bad."

Hermione let Ginny's words sink in for a moment.

"Gin, if I let you love me, and be the one adored, would you go all the way and be the one I'm looking for?" She looked into the green eyes before her and saw more love and devotion than ever before.

"I will, Hermione. I am."

* * *

"Gods! I have never felt so good!" Ginny said stretching her sore limbs. "So there was something I've wanted to talk to you about…" she said cautiously. Ginny got out of their bed and reached for her boy shorts and tank top, quickly slipping them on and walking out to the kitchen.

"What's that?" Hermione yelled to her.

"Well it's about quidditch really. I'm starting to want different things out of life. Where I wanted fame and world records I now find I want family and friends. I feel like I'm the only one at the top these days, and I'm fucking suffocating up there." She said loudly. Hermione could hear the sounds for the fridge opening and closing.

"How long have you felt this way, Gin?" Hermione called to her.

Ginny propped herself casually against the doorframe of the bedroom with half a piece of cheese in her hand, the other half hanging from her mouth.

"A couple months now, I guess…" she swallowed the rest of her cheese before disappearing into the kitchen again.

"Well, if you are longing to be out of the public eye for a while, marrying the youngest Minister of Magic in history probably isn't the brightest idea. She heard the pantry door shut loudly and Ginny was once more in her doorway with a chunk of sourdough bread.

"You know they make knives for slicing that stuff…" the brunette informed her lover. Ginny shrugged and took a bite out of the bread.

"Tastes better this way. And I will marry you, Hermione. Don't you think I'm off getting cold feet this early into it. You will be my wife if I have anything to say about it."

Hermione could help but smile at how determined Ginny looked, munching on her bread.

"I'm just stating that it isn't going to be the quietest of affairs. This will most likely be the wedding of the century." Hermione said, slipping out of bed. She walked to her wardrobe; fully aware of the hungry stare she was being given.

"See something you like?" she asked feigning nonchalance.

"Only the women I will soon call my wife. The woman who will carry my children. The woman I will make love to all around the world and back." She was completely enthralled by Hermione, following her every move hungrily.

"Oh Ginny, you are too much sometimes." She said blushing. Pulling out her bathrobe, Hermione could swear she heard Ginny growl but chose to ignore it for the time being.

"So what are you thinking about doing? Since you clearly don't wish to be a big quidditch star." She said, keeping her chuckle as close to the chest as possible.

"Well… world cup tryouts are coming up, and I missed them four years ago cause of that one concussion. It would be a shame if I never got to represent England, you know?" she said sheepishly.

"What will you do after you lead England to its 2nd world cup then? Will you go back to the Harpies? Will you write for the Quidditch weekly?"

"Actually, I was hoping I could take part in this project your working on. I know your going to need a few coaches to start out and I'd like to be the lead on finding them and helping them establish themselves in this new system." Ginny said. She wasn't sure how Hermione would take it, but knew she had to come at it from a point of determination.

"Ginny, that's an incredible idea! How did I not think about that myself?" Hermione asked, grabbing Ginny around the waist and hugging her tightly.

"So… you like the idea?" she asked sheepishly, not pulling away.

"Like it? I love it." Hermione couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Life had never been more perfect. She was with the love of her life and changing the world.

'Yes, but can she do it? Can she go all the way, and be the wife I'm looking for?' Hermione thought.

"Yes. I can." Ginny whispered into her ear, sensing her fiancés thoughts.


End file.
